Straight Back = Better Body

Recently I saw this lovely couple glide by a local coffee haunt I frequent. I wasn’t able to catch them before they passed but on their way back I approached them and asked if I could take their picture. They were gracious and complied. Here’s why I asked them if I could capture their image and share it with you:

They walked like the world was laying itself at their feet – and it was.

Now I have no desire to hide my admiration for the self-esteem, aesthetic, and general well-being the perfect posture of these two magnificent creatures helped convey. But let’s put that aspect aside for the moment and recognize the more important reasons you should care about (and correct) your likely improvable stature and gait:

1. You'll have far less of a propensity to develop or aggravate back pain (reason enough by itself).
2. You’ll get more oxygen into your bloodstream more easily (oxygen is literally life, and health).
3. By engaging your core muscles throughout the day to effect proper alignment, you’ll have fewer knee and foot problems and everything you do that’s physical will be done more gracefully and be easier for you.

There, is that reason enough for you to work on your posture?

So let’s dive right into the specifics of correct posture, and here they are:

1. Lengthen the space between your tailbone and crown (or between your ear lobes and shoulders, whichever set of reference points works better for you), chin in.
2. Engage your abdominal muscles as though someone is about to smack you back-handed in the belly, but not so firmly that you can’t breathe easily.
3. Drop your shoulder blades down and out toward your back pockets.

That works for seated, standing or walking posture. For standing posture, add:

1. Distribute your weight evenly between left and right feet; with the load evenly spread between the heel and the ball of the foot.
2. Soften your knees (they should not be locked out or hyper-extended).

And for walking posture, add:

1. Lead not with your forehead, shoulders or chin, but with your xiphoid process (the notch at the base of your sternum where your ribs meet).
2. Glide smoothly from the heel to the ball of the foot and off the toes.

Here’s a video if you do better with a demonstration.

One last thing: You won’t notice your own posture throughout the day, let alone remember to correct it. So here’s a great little tip – Notice the posture of those around you, then silently correct your own. You’ll be doing both yourself, and your little world, a bigger favor than you realize.

Dan Taylor, ACE, NASM-CPT, is owner and head trainer at Pleasanton-based Tri Valley Trainer. They offer personal training and small group fitness solutions and an innovative, medically endorsed web-based group healthy eating coaching program.