Posture perfection
The last time you heard about posture may have been when you were at school. But it’s just as important to your day to day fitness now, as it was then.
For instance, good posture can reduce muscle stress and tension, both of which can cause headaches and other ailments. It can also strengthen your abdominal and back muscles, providing protection against back pain.
With better posture your body also moves more efficiently, due to using the right muscles. And… you’ll look better. Look in the mirror to see how different you appear when you sit or stand up straight . I can guarantee you will look lighter and more relaxed.
So, how do you achieve great posture? Pilates and similar exercise classes can be beneficial. I can also recommend a simple, but effective exercise you can practise at home or at work.
First of all, take a seat, place both feet firmly on the floor, with your lower back supported and sit up straight.
Then lengthen your spine by imagining that helium balloons are lifting you up towards the ceiling. Take a deep breath in, shrug your shoulders up and slide them away from your ears as you breathe out.
Practise this exercise daily and before long, you will not just have better posture, you’ll feel better and look better too.
Jenny MacLean is on hand to give you some tips on getting to the level of fitness you really want to achieve. And here is someone who knows what they are talking about. Jenny was the fastest Scottish woman in the Edinburgh Marathon, and she runs her own fitness company called EnergyWise.
This is the fifth of her fitness columns for The Edinburgh Reporter. We hope it helps you to achieve your fitness goals!
You can contact EnergyWise by email or you will find them here:-
EnergyWise Health & Fitness
Holyrood Business Park
146 Duddingston Road West
Edinburgh EH16 4AP
Tel: 07775 621465
