Are You Standing Tall? A Few Posture Pointers

The quality of your posture can make a big difference in your life. Good posture can make you look and feel younger, stronger and more confident; and can help improve your breathing, advance your sports performance, decrease your risk of injury and improve your biomechanical efficiency. And, over the course of your life, good posture can prevent painful physical strain in your joints. How can you tell if your posture needs improving? A few telltale signs include: 1. collapsed arches in your feet 2. an elevated hip or shoulder 3. one side of the body rotated forward or back 4. pelvis and hips tilted to the front, back or side 5. rounded back 6. drooping chest and shoulders 7. head jutting forward These are indications that your body has gotten locked into poor movement patterns for any of a number of reasons, including muscle imbalance, compensation for injuries, ergonomic problems or poor alignment during fitness and sports activities. Changing Habits It is possible to change poor postural habits. Developing proactive postural habits builds a foundation for a fit body that functions effectively. What is important is to not beat yourself up about what is, but devise and use - that is the active element - to use a plan to improve what you can. Some structural issues cannot and will not change. Try the following tips for improving your posture:

1. Find Neutral Your personal trainer or Pilates Instructor can help you recognize what neutral alignment looks and feels like in your body. This is the position in which the spine is best equipped to deal with exte al stress and strain. You should be able to move into neutral alignment while sitting, standing and moving.

2. Remind Yourself Frequently Create ways to remind yourself to do posture checks throughout the day, such as setting a sports watch to alert you hourly or posting printed reminders on your desk or bulletin board.

3. Develop Your Hip Muscles Weakness or inflexibility of the hip muscles that attach to the pelvis may impact the alignment of your pelvis and lower back. Seek an exercise program that includes flexibility training for the hip flexors, extensors, abductors, adductors and rotators.

4. Perform the Right Trunk Exercises Work with your trainer to learn exercises that train the abdominals to hold the pelvis in neutral alignment. Do more active stabilization training, rather than just traditional torso curls and sit-ups, which focus almost exclusively on the trunk-flexing function of the obliques. Additionally, learn how to correctly perform back extension exercises--while standing, on hands and knees, prone on elbows or prone with arms extended. Research has shown that these exercises often improve or eliminate back pain.

5. Consider Alte ative Exercise Formats Yoga, Pilates or Pilates inspired exercises emphasize alignment and controlled movement of the spine, which can greatly improve your posture habits.

6. Lastly, be sure to check with specialists Postural problems can have a serious negative impact on your health and quality of life. In addition to your personal trainer, you may want to consult with a podiatrist, an orthopedic specialist, a physical therapist or a chiropractor.