March 2, 2011 - Perfect Posture

Perfect posture is not just about standing/sitting but they are good places to start.  The information below has been gleaned from multiple sources.  While searching I came upon an other blog that I feel is an excellent source of information I highly suggest taking a look at    http://toddhargrove.wordpress.com/
Especially his information on the Feldenkrais Method.
Having excellent posture is paramount to good health, and in some ways, is as important as eating well and exercising.  None of these behaviors alone can provide the same health benefits as a balanced combination of all three.

The following video outlines some good advice about improving your posture.

 Here are some easy ways to check your posture at home:
Stand facing a full length mirror and check the following:
1) Your shoulders are level
2) Your head is straight, not tilted to the side
3) The spaces between your arms and your sides seem equal on both sides
4) Your hips are level, not sloped to one side
5) Your ankles are straight and not turned in or out.
You can also have someone look at you from the side and check the following:
1) Your head is stacked over your body, not jutting forward or pulled back
2) Your chin is parallel to the floor, not tilting up or down
3) Shoulders are in line with ears, not drooping forward or pulled back too far
4) Your hands are in line with hips, not forward or back
5) Your knees are straight, not bent or hyper-extended
6) Your lower back is slightly curved forward, not too flat or curved too much, (creating a swayback)
Do your best to practice these points of posture everyday, and before you know it, your posture will be perfect.
Nancy Wile, Ed.D. is the founder of Yoga To Go - a yoga organization that provides simple and effective yoga programs for busy people around the world. You can subscribe to her free yoga and fitness newsletter at: www.YogaTG.com

        I find that it can be difficult for us (anyone) to check our own posture because of our own self perception.  The body position we use is the one we see in the mirror everyday.  It feels natural and it is difficult to self correct.  When standing in front of the mirror looking for problems we have a tendency to self-correct and make the postural anomalies less significant.  Basically we fool ourselves into thinking that our posture is better than it really is.
       One way to adjust for this is to have someone take a photo of you from the front and from the side while standing in a relaxed position.  It may also help to have a visual aide such as a series of markers behind you for comparisons sake.  I will try to upload some examples before the week's end.

http://i.ehow.com/images/a04/qu/bf/bad-posture-effects-joints-800X800.jpg

Better Posture Made Simple
Follow these simple steps to quickly improve your posture.
1) Bring your feet parallel, not turned out, and about hip width apart. Bringing your feet parallel engages the muscles in the front of your thighs and keeps your hips, knees and ankles in proper alignment.
2) Reach up through the top of your head, feeling your spine lengthen, getting tall.
3) 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 bit.
4) Draw your shoulders back and relax them down, bringing your hands in line with the seams of your pants.
5) Level your chin, keeping your head directly over the spot between your shoulders, not forward or back.

Read more: http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/posture.shtml#ixzz1FSSrCp00