Look Slimmer with the Posture Doctor 

If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to drop some pounds, start paying attention to your posture.

Good posture not only makes you look confident, but it can also help you look up to 10 pounds thinner. No matter how toned those abs might be, slouching curves the spine forward, creating rolls on the belly. It can also make you appear inches shorter than you truly are. From my time in the Pilates studio, I can tell you the majority of my clients tuck the pelvis under and let the ribs fall behind their centre, allowing the shoulders to round forward. This makes a giant C-curve out of the spine. And this is definitely not good posture.

Want to Look Slimmer? Improve Your Posture!

Mothers and teachers have long been telling us to sit up straight; and they were definitely on to something! It’s no revelation that a slouched back and rounded shoulders is closely linked with back pain and other spinal issues. But according to our Ealing chiropractor, the damaging effects of  poor posture may be worse than you think.

Depression, fatigue, stress and low self-esteem are among the physical and mental implications linked to a poor posture. Slouching can also make us appear up to ten pounds heavier! Even if you have toned abs (lucky you!), if you slouch, your spine will curve forward and create rolls on your tummy.  This C-curve position will also make you appear shorter than you actually are. It really is surprising how many people tuck in their pelvis, let their ribs fall behind their centre and allow their shoulders to round forward!

Maintaining a straight spine will hold your body in its strongest form and take visual inches off your waistline. Even though sitting up straight does not come naturally to many of us, it’s definitely worth working on.

By changing your posture! Without even knowing you, I bet there’s 90% chance you could stand straighter and walk straighter.

Most of us sit for hours every day with a bad posture. This doesn’t just hurt our lower back. It also:

• Makes us shorter. A slouchy posture costs you in inches. Not a coincidence that people gain 1-2 inches in height after starting exercise programs that emphasise having a straight posture (think yoga).
  It emphasises your belly fat. When you stand straight, the belly fat stretches out and appears smaller. When you slouch, the belly fat protrudes more and appears bigger. Just go in front of a mirror and see it for yourself.
  But I know you know you could stand straighter. I know you know that you could appear thinner if you stood and walked straighter. But if you’re like most people, you might have never thought about straightening your posture as a valid way to look thinner.
  Most of us connect diet and exercise with appearing thinner, and rarely if ever consider the shape of our backs and how it affects our looks.

A good posture is not just about good looks – and less back pain of course.
A straight posture is also about confidence.

Yes, confidence. – Your posture affects the way you feel. Standing tall affects our biochemistry, increasing testosterone, and decreasing cortisol (the infamous stress hormone). Just like smiling, even when you’re faking it, makes you happier, a straighter posture makes you feel more powerful, less stressed, and, yes, unstoppable. And it’s not just that you feel better. It’s also that others perceive you more favourably.

Ok, now you’re convinced. You want to straighten your posture, so you too look thinner, stand taller, become unstoppable, and get that job!

But how do you know your posture is/isn’t straight?

Often, when I tell people to “straighten up”, they take a “military posture”. They lift their chests way too much, and their head looks up. But that’s NOT what a straight posture is.

Have you ever noticed the long posture dancers have?

Don’t they have a commanding, yet graceful, presence?

Exactly. I’ve always admired them for that. Even when they sit their backs are always straight! That’s why in today’s episode, I’m showing you how you too can have a dancer’s posture, even if you have zero dance experience.

By having a dancer’s posture, you’ll:

• Stand taller
• Look thinner
• Decrease your lower back pain risk
• Increase your confidence
• Possibly change your life, by, e.g., getting job offers you’d otherwise never have gotten!

Changing your posture is hard, because after all, the way you sit and stand are established habits. You take the slouchy posture without even thinking about it. Being slouchy is what comes naturally.

But all this can change. The more your practice a dancer’s posture, the more you’re creating a new “standing tall” habit. It’s going to require conscious effort at first, but the more you do it, the less conscious effort you’ll need.

Start with practicing a straight posture once a day. If you manage to hold it for more than 5 minutes, I bet you’ll start being able to hold it without having to really think about it. Bam, a good sign your habits are changing for the better!

So now I’d love you to share, what insights did you get from our blog? Are there any specific times when you tend to ruin your posture – like when walking, being at meetings, sitting at the computer for too long, etc? Leave a comment on Facebook.

So there you have it, straight talking advice on the enormous benefits of simply sitting up straight!

Start improving your posture today – there couldn’t be a more simple way to look and feel healthier! If you would like us to help you get the prefect posture and look slimmer call us on – 028 867 61861