Posture: More than Pretty

I loved learning more about this perpetual need in my life!   It makes you feel better in every way.  I also think the 'power postures' are fascinating: how certain posture/body language makes you feel confident.

from http://www.refinery29.com/2013/08/51619/posture

...Taking frequent breaks to notice our posture may seem like a nuisance, but Ken Baldwin, executive director of The National Posture Institute and sport and wellness professor at the State University of New York, also endorses the practice. "You need to think about your posture every 30 minutes you are awake,” he says.

Baldwin has developed a four-step re-alignment sequence that will correct posture (and elevate moods) when sitting, walking and exercising:

1. Stand or sit as tall as you possibly can. If sitting, avoid crisscrossing limbs and ensure that when your feet touch the floor, your body is forming a 90-degree angle with your torso, hips, and legs.

2. Elevate your chest. Elevate the scapula so it becomes level. Position your shoulders so the form a squared-off, 90-degree angle instead of dropping down.

3. Retract shoulder blades and pull them back. To do this, envision holding a pencil between the shoulder blades.This activates the rhomboids and middle trapezius muscle groups, which are weak and distorted in 95% of the population, according to Baldwin. Additionally, to reduce forward head protrusion, use your fingers to press on the chin and push it back, which will better align your neck (and deter lateral deviations in the spine).

4. Isometrically contract your abdominal muscles. To do so, draw the belly button inward, toward the spine, and contract the core muscles to help maintain the position you’ve achieved by following the previous steps.