Poor posture not only causes one to lose inches in height but can put unnecessary stress on the back and therefore the rest of the body. To improve your posture, you need to learn how to sit and stand tall and you must concentrate on toning both the back and abdominal muscles.
Improve Your Posture – Sit Up Straight
Sit or stand tall while imagining your spine is a straight rod and your head is balanced on the tip of it. Slightly pull in your stomach muscles. Pull your shoulders back and let your arms hang on the sides of your body. Do not pull your shoulders up as many are tempted to do, just gently pull them back and let them relax down. If you are standing, make sure your legs are about shoulder width apart and relaxed at the knees. Practice good posture several times a day and whenever you become aware that you are slouching.
Improve Your Posture with Exercise
Two or three sets of 12 reps of abdominal exercises every day will tone your tummy muscles to help support the spine. There are a variety of DVD’s and books on the market that illustrate exercises for strengthening the back. Practicing yoga is one of the best ways to improve your posture and contrary to popular belief, it is not always necessary to turn yourself into a pretzel to perform yoga exercises.
Improving posture is not difficult but it does take discipline. With regular practice you will see a measurable difference in just a couple of weeks.