What to tackle first?

So Ladies, how are we feeling today?

Day one with reduced caffeine went ok - am missing all my cups of tea today but I will stay strong!!!!! 

Now it's time to address your functional physical health.

Where to start?

How about we really go back to basics and look at ALIGNMENT.  This is especially important for core and pelvic floor health.

Does your posture look more like the left or the right? What about when you're carrying and holding something? 

We want to stand, sit, move, and exercise most often in a posture that matches the photo on the right. Not the "bum tucking" photo on the left (I'm guilty)! 

This is incredibly important for your core and pelvic floor function. And for the way that your booty fits into your jeans!  This allows your abdominals, pelvic floor muscles, glutes, and other deep core muscles the best chance to work in the right way and do their job. You should be practicing during pregnancy, post-pregnancy...and, forever!

So my challenge to you is to think about, and become more aware of your posture.

How can I check and improve my posture?

If you can draw a straight line from your earlobe through your shoulder, hip, knee, to the middle of your ankle—–you've got it. 

To find yours:

Using a mirror, align your ears, shoulders, and hips. Proper alignment places your ears loosely above your shoulders and above your hips. Again, these points make a straight line, but the spine itself curves in a slight 'S'. You'll find that this doesn't hurt at all. If you do experience pain, look at your side view in a mirror to see if you're forcing your back into an unnatural position. If you do not have pain, then posture should not be altered, because this could cause other problems. Seek help from a chiropractor if moving yourself into this posture causes pain.

Train your muscles to do the work. 

Exercises that strengthen the muscles across your upper back and shoulders will help you to maintain good posture. You don't need to develop a body builder physique—–it's more important to build "muscle memory" so that you unconsciously and naturally maintain correct posture without fatigue. Try the following, with or without hand weights:

Exercise One

Square your posture, head upright, so that your ears are aligned over your shoulders.

Raise both arms straight out, alongside your ears, palms up.

Bend forearms in and back, toward shoulders, in an effort to touch your shoulder blades with your fingertips.

Do ten repetitions with both arms, then alternate ten reps for each arm singularly.

Exercise Two

Align ears with shoulders as in Exercise One.

Raise both arms out to sides at shoulder height, and hold for a slow count of ten.

Slowly lower arms to sides, counting ten as you lower.

Slowly raise arms back to shoulder height, counting to ten as you raise arms.

Do ten reps, constantly checking your alignment with each rep. If ten reps are too many to start, do as many as you can. You should at least feel a slight fatigue in the shoulder muscles.

Exercise Three

While you wait for a web page to load or the bread to toast, place your elbows at your side, and touch your shoulders with your hands.

Keeping your hands on your shoulders and your ears aligned, raise both elbows (count one, two) and lower them back down (count one, two). Do as many reps as your wait allows. You'll be surprised how much exercise fits into 30 seconds.

Exercise Four

Finally!  Do stretches. 

This can greatly help if you find that you have a sore back or neck. It's also good to do during the day, if your job requires you to sit for long periods.

Tilt or stretch your head in all four directions over your shoulders (forward, back, left, right), and gently massage your neck. Avoid rolling in a circle, as it may cause further strain.

On your hands and knees, curl your back upwards, like a cat, and then do the opposite. Think about being able to place a bowl in the hollow of your back.

Repeat the exercises a few times each day. Doing them in the morning helps your body stretch out the muscle lethargy of sleep. 

Done periodically throughout the day, it will help to raise your energy level like that of a heavy workout.

Practice daily and you will soon see an improvement in the way you hold yourself.

Aileen x