Good Posture

My husband told me at Cross-Fit they had him doing hundreds of pushups. I screamed, "Don't do it! I don't care if you lose the competition."

Why is this so scary?

Pushups works the pectoralis major and minor (chest) and anterior deltoids (front of shoulders). Doing excessive pushups (or any chest exercise) will strengthen those muscles to the point that they will overpower the back muscles - which are usually weak because we spend so much of our day slouching over a computer, leaning over cleaning, or holding a cute little one.

If you want to have good posture you need to strengthen your core with a balanced approach. A little bit of work on the chest is okay, but make sure you offset it with upper back exercises. Also, make sure to stretch your chest whenever you have a chance.

My favorite chest stretch - go to a corner or a door frame, place hands a little more than shoulder-width apart, lean forward until you feel the stretch in your chest, hold for thirty seconds.

Another key of good posture is strong abs and lower back. Make sure you hold your abs in tight throughout the day and whenever you get the chance press your tongue in the spot where the back of your upper teeth and the roof of your mouth meet. If you press hard enough it will straighten you up every time.

So remember - strengthen back, stretch chest, especially if you are a mom or have issues with posture already.

My favorite back exercise you can do anywhere - stand up straight, extend arms out to the side, level with shoulders, fingers pointing towards ceiling, contract upper back muscles, slowly bring arms in front of you while keeping back contracted, as soon as you lose the contraction go back to start position. Repeat three-four times a day.

Good posture will make you look ten pounds lighter and much more confident.

Posture and Weight Loss

It's amazing the effect posture can have on a person's confidence, success level, and how other people perceive them.

Studies have proven that people with good posture look ten pounds lighter, and now they've discovered that good posture can help you lose weight quicker.

So how do you get good posture?

It's easy to say, "Stand up straight." But sometimes if you're in the habit of slouching or you are bent over a computer or baby all day it is almost painful to stand up straight. If that's the case you need to strengthen your back muscles (seated row, bent-over row, lat pull-down, etc.) and stretch your chest muscles. My favorite chest stretch is to place hands at shoulder level on a door frame, then lean forward through the open door. You must hold a stretch for 26 seconds for it to be effective.

Another thing that helps as you're focusing on improving your posture is to do visual checks in a mirror and think through the aspects of good posture.

Head in alignment with spine - Michael Colgan offers this advice - push your tongue against the spot where the back of your teeth and the roof of your mouth connect, it will naturally straighten you.

Shoulders down and back - think about contracting shoulder blades together rather than thrusting them back and chest forward

Hips tucked under - tighten your bum slightly

Abs in tight

I sit slouched in my chair typing this list. I'm headed to do a visual check and see if I can't look ten pounds thinner!

Hope you all have a fabulous day,

Cami