Pulling strings

July 23rd, 2008 at 05:44pm Mike DeDoncker

It seems people are always looking for ways to look thinner and one of the easiest ways to do that is simply to stand up straight.

 Sound simple? It is.

In a person with good posture, the head is balanced and the chin doesn’t jut forward, the chest is slightly raised, the abdomen is flat without being sucked in, the knees are relaxed with the kneecaps pointing straight ahead, the shoulders are level and the hips are level and aligned directly under the shoulders. The feet are directly beneath the knees and facing forward.

In addition, there is a natural curve to the lower back and the hands hang naturally at your sides with the palms facing each other.

If all that sounded like things just got complicated, think of this simple trick whenever you catch yourself slouching or you just want to check yourself for that thinner look.

Imagine that two strings run from the bottoms of your feet up through your legs and hips and become one string when they reach your trunk. That string runs all the way up your spine to the top of your head.

Then, when you catch yourself slouching, reach back and pull that imaginary string straight up until it pulls you into proper position and hold it there. The more often you do this, the greater the effect.

You may not have perfect posture, but you may realize that you’re breathing better, your muscles feel more relaxed and you just plain look better.

Entry Filed under: personal fitness, healthyrockford.com