Whether you have been exercising for years or just starting out, you hopefully have been
hearing some cues in your workouts. Does something like this sound familiar?
"Keep your knees bent, abdominals tight, and draw your shoulders back and
down". Your trainers have been trained to remind you about proper posture, not
just for looks but also for safety. When your body is aligned properly, you
experience less muscle fatigue and pain.
The hard part is that most of us weren't brought up knowing what proper posture looked
like, or felt like. To be honest, when we get into that position some of us
feel very awkward. This is why your trainers keep cueing those important focus
points, there is added energy to your overall well being when your body is
stacked up the way it was meant to be.
Do you
want another reason to follow those cues your trainer gives you? When you hold
your abdominals tight and draw your shoulder blades back and down, you immediately
narrow your waist, visually shrinking your size a little. Try this experiment in
the privacy of your own home:
-
Stand
in front of the mirror with your abdominals exposed
-
Relax
your abdominal muscles, let your shoulders drop forward and take a look
-
Now,
tighten your abs and pull your shoulders back. What difference do you see? Do
you feel different? More confident? Do you have a little more energy?
Think
about a slight contraction in your abdominals and walk tall, you will not only
look better but you will feel better too!
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