Improving Your Posture

Take two minutes and think about the following questions. Have you noticed that you are constantly cowering down because your boss is too intimidating? Are you weary and tired and as a result frequently hunch your shoulders? Are you trying to reach out to someone and in the process unwittingly, let your chest out too far forward? If you've said yes to any of these then not only are you looking sloppy and unsmart, but are unknowingly encouraging bad posture.

What is Posture?
Think of a building without the steelwork or a bridge without an edifice and what conjures up in your mind is a weak and unstable construction incapable of withstanding stress or strain. The same could apply to your body. Your posture, a harmonious interplay of the skeletal and muscular systems, forms the structure and base of all your movements. And though it is of your own making, it communicates a whole deal about you to the external world. It signals your position in society, your levels of self-esteem and confidence as well as how comfortable you are with your body. Enough reasons to warrant taking action about it now.

Importance of Posture
Your posture has a prime purpose - to provide a framework that can carry your body through pressures and tensions, strains and stresses, without having any repercussions on your productivity and efficiency. A chink in any part of the framework will require compensation by the opposing group of muscle or set of joints. And any flaw will eventually lead not only to aches and pains in the short term but result in far reaching complications like a some ailment, dysfunction or injury (for e.g. risking your spinal cord, reducing your breathing capacity etc) all of which can be prevented by good posture.

Getting started
So how can you improve your posture? A good beginning is to objectively assess the stress areas, the probable flaws and imbalances. Once these are done (and believe us it is not too difficult. We even lay out the process in the article), begin corrective measures. Ideally before starting on any of the corrective measures. You should consult a fitness specialist, a physiotherapist and / or an orthopedic surgeon. The last is to ensure that there are no structural or dysfunctional reasons for incorrect posture.

Start with a POSTURE CHECK by standing with your back against the wall with four points touching it:
the back of your head, shoulders, hips and heels. Then go through the following guidelines:

* The head and neck should be in line with the rest of the body
* The shoulders should be parallel to each other
* The shoulder blades should be pulled backwards and in a relaxed position
* The abdominal muscles should be tucked in tightly
* The hip muscles should be pulled in lightly
* The hips should be parallel to each other.

The skeletal system provides rigidity and mobility while the muscular system provides elasticity along with stability. The backbone, an important component of the body's skeleton, is a delicate piece of architecture and has to be treated with care. Because of its S-like shape, it has amazing abilities but is also the first to take the toll of your stress or abuse. The remedy is to consciously maintain the normal curves the way they are meant to be - outward (but not excessively) in the upper back area and inward (but not excessively) in the lower back area. One of the functions of the set of muscles that attach themselves to the back, along with the muscles in the front portion of the midsection, is to keep the body upright and function with maximum efficiency.

Thus any movement or exercise, position or stance needs to be conducted keeping in mind the alignment of the bony structure and the stabilization of the musculature. Think of symmetry between left and right and think of balance between top and bottom, front and back.

My recommendation
A combination of regular exercise, which will increase bone density, joint flexibility and cater to muscular strength and flexibility, will go a long way in improving your posture. Combine this with a sensible diet that supplies you with all the vital nutrients and you are on the right track. We at ActiveKarma have a number of exercises that you can do specifically for posture (ab and oblique crunches, back extensions, upper back strengthening work).

Finally, it may not be easy to undo years of bad postural habits but when you begin to feel the difference between before and after, the effort is well worth it. A keen awareness of yourself, within your body and in relationship to your surroundings will give you that extra edge and help you stay on top of things. So if you are looking for ways to beat bad posture and get a headstart DO IT NOW. Improve your posture today and watch what the world says about you. You will be amazed!