Body amd Soul daily
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The perfect posture workout
http://www.couriermail.com.au/lifestyle/health-fitness/the-perfect-posture-workout/story-fnivsueq-1226686059723
Walk tall with these spine straightening moves.
If someone asked you
to list the 10 sexiest attributes of the opposite sex, would posture be one of
them? We doubt it. But the truth is that improving your posture will definitely
shrink your waist and can even give the impression of gaining a few inches of
height. And I haven't even mentioned the spinal protective effects of a
hardworking set of postural muscles. Read on and learn how to stand tall.
1. Squats
Why? This is a very important postural exercise. If your
body is balanced you should be able to do a squat with perfect posture. It's a
crucial movement and doing it with correct control is a valuable skill.
How? Place a finger on your bellybutton and another on the
base of your sternum. Increase the distance between these fingers by standing
tall. Squat down and maintain this distance with your buttocks sitting back and
your gaze on the horizon.
Sets and reps: 2 sets of 8 to 15
2. Prone cobra extensions
Why? When we sit for long periods of time our spines, hips
and knees are all in constant flexion. This exercise can help reverse this
negative trend.
How? Lie on your stomach and place your hands on the ground
under your shoulders. Keeping your hips on the ground, push up and peel your
torso off the ground. Push up as high as you can without tensing your glutes.
If you feel pain, reduce the range of movement.
Sets and reps: 2 sets of 10 to 20
3. Push-ups
Why? When performing a push-up, most people either sag their
hips, stick their buttocks in the air or drop their head towards the ground.
This reduces the effectiveness of the chest workout and is bad for your spine.
How? Start with your hands shoulder-width apart, resting
either on your toes or knees. Your body should be in perfect alignment throughout.
At the end of the movement your nose, chest and hips should all be centimetres
from the ground. Squeeze your pecs together as you push up to increase your
chest engagement.
Sets and reps: 2 sets of 8 to 15
4. One-leg balances
Why? Your posture involves both your hips and abdominal
region. This exercise teaches you to control the important muscles that keep
you strong and balanced through your hips.
How? Place a finger on your bellybutton and a finger from
your other hand at the base of your sternum. Increase the distance between
these fingers by standing tall and lengthening your spine. Raise one foot off
the ground, maintain the distance between your fingers and try to keep your
hips horizontally aligned. Hold this for a few seconds until your balance is
steady and then swap feet.
Sets and reps: 2 sets of 10 to 16 each leg
5. Swiss ball balance
Why? Once you've completed the previous four exercises, try
this to test your core muscles and posture in an unstable environment.
How? Sit on a Swiss ball, hugging your calves into the ball.
Roll back a fraction and lift your feet about 20cm to 30cm off the ground. Stay
tall in your spine but mobile in your hips so you can adjust to the moving
ball.
Sets and reps: 2 sets of up to 1 minute each
To brace or not to brace
Depending on who you talk to you'll get different advice on
how to engage your core muscles. Some will say to squeeze and brace your core,
while others say to stay long through your spine. The truth is probably somewhere
in the middle, depending on what you're doing. Generally, you're better off
thinking about keeping your spine long.
Beating stress is actually very simple: just keep this one
thing in mind.