Secrets to Good Posture

Good posture is the secret to looking good and staying healthy.

• FEET FIRST: Place your feet parallel, about hip width apart. They shouldn’t be turned out. Bringing your feet parallel keeps your hips, knees and ankles in proper alignment. Reach up through the top of your head, feeling your spine lengthen. Enjoy the feeling the stretch is giving you.
• SHOULDERS BACK: Draw your shoulders back and relax them down, bringing your hands in line with the seams of
  your trousers. Level your chin, keeping your head directly over the spot between your shoulders, not forward or back.
• NEUTRAL TERRITORY: Bring your pelvis to a neutral position. To find this neutral position, place your hands around
  your hips, then tuck your tailbone slightly until your pelvis is directly over your thighs, so there is no bend in your hip
  joints, and there’s less sway in your low back. As you tuck your tailbone, you should feel your abdominal muscles engage a little bit.
• DON’T FORGET: Every time you sit down, remind yourself of your how you’re holding yourself. Whether you’re in
  the car, at the dinner table or at work. At first you may feel uncomfortable with the correct posture because it may not feel natural. You will have become used to holding yourself in a certain way, even if it is the wrong way. Do this for two weeks and you’ll soon get used to the new way.

For more tips and exercises read Stand Taller Live Longer by Dr. Steven Weiniger. He combines cutting-edge research and illustrated demonstrations to build a daily posture exercise routine that is right for your body. Just 10 minutes a day to keep active and pain-free.