How To Improve Your Posture

And gain better breathing, confidence, body image

“Begin to be now, what you will be hereafter.”
— William James

Having a good body posture is part of my Norwegian upbringing. From an early age we learn how to walk tall, chest forward, and to be proud of who we are. But, like everything else, at times we forget.

When I don’t feel up to par, my posture and confidence go to the dogs. Once my sister came visiting from Norway. She is a teacher and yoga instructor.
Throughout the visit, she would put one hand on my chest, and one hand on my back and push, trying to correct my posture. That was a few months after retirement, and I was going through a rough transition.

I have since learned to pull myself up by the bootstraps for a speedy recovery when I feel low. It works every time and puts me back in charge.

Quick steps for improved self-awareness and a better body image

To begin, stand up straight with shoulders back. Take three deep breaths. Focus on your breath. Be where you are, be present, be relaxed, and be safe.

Walk around the room and note how you feel. Keep your head aligned with your spine. No slumping forward, keep your chin slightly up, and breathe easy. Lower your shoulders if you feel tense. It takes a little getting used to. Try to be relaxed and keep your awareness on your body.

Photo by K8 on Unsplash

The benefits of this posture include better breathing, stronger core strength, reduced stress on muscles and joints, and a strengthened pelvic floor. The latter is super important for women who suffer from urinary incontinence and a weak pelvic floor.

More than anything, good posture is a confidence booster. We can chose to show up as king/queen of the hill and carry our body with confidence. Our body image becomes what we think, feel, and act as if it is.

Show up as the spectacular person you already are.

Being aware of how we walk and carry ourselves is worth the effort. When we are present in our being, we are in the control seat and decide how we want to show up. Hold on as long as you can.

As we grow older, it is easy to hunch over. It is easy to develop shallow breathing and keep tension in the shoulders. It is easy to accept subtle changes in body function simply because we are growing older. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Years ago, I picked up a free health magazine at a supermarket in New York. There was an article about a middle-aged woman who had a beautiful muscular body. “How do you do it?” the interviewer asked. “I put God in my muscles,” she said.

It took me thirty years to realize what she meant. She meant that she put her awareness on her muscles when she was exercising. What we put our attention on grows.
Another time, I read about Jennifer Lopez’s trainer. He said that when we work out, the most important thing is to think about what we are doing. We must place our thoughts on what we intend to create.

It is important to pull in your stomach, pull in your butt, and simultaneously engage the muscles in your pelvic floor. Your core muscles hold you up and make all activities possible. Keep your muscles engaged and appreciate how they support you. This is what I do. Walking tall in my own awareness makes me feel good. See what is comfortable and what works for you.

We have over 600 muscles in the body. They work together in accordance to how we move. If we don’t use the muscles, we lose them. They atrophy. It is normal to lose muscle mass as we age, but we can hold on as long as possible.

The six pack muscle, also called Rectus Abdominis, collaborates with other abdominal muscles, the breathing muscle, Diaphragm, and the pelvic floor muscles when we keep our body aligned in an upward, steady posture.

"We are what we think, all that we are arises with our thoughts, with our thoughts we make the world.”
— Buddha

Stay in your own light. Embrace your age. Love yourself and be proud of who you are. No one else in the world is exactly like you and nobody can walk exactly like you. You have come way too far to not be the hero in your own life. The end will come soon enough. Walk like you own the world.

You do own the world. We all do, all eight billion of us, while we are here.

Love your body, as is. It is the only one you have. Honor your body with love and gratitude. Carry it with pride.

Conclusion

Stand up straight, chin slightly up, shoulders back, effortless breathing, engage the core muscles, tighten butt and pelvic floor without strain. Practice. Practice makes perfect. Be safe.

🇳🇴Annelie Holmene Pelaez believes that everyone has an attribute to share with others. Promoting cardiovascular health and helping adults over age 65 is her contribution. When we don’t let age define us, but rather empower us to grow, we discover health and happiness are byproducts of who we are.

Annelie is the author of the book, Say Yes to A Better Life, available at Amazon.

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