Got your attention, didn’t I? Here’s how you do it: stand up really straight, pull your shoulders back and suck your gut in. That’s it. No, you didn’t actually lose 10 pounds, but you look like you did.
Unfortunately, this quick fix cannot last. Quickly the muscles you are using to hold that gut in and keep your shoulders back will begin to tire out, and you will go back to your original look. But the lesson here is how working on your posture can change the way you look and even make it look like you have lost weight.
I have many clients who tell me that soon after they started working out, their friends were telling them how good they look. Most of these clients had not yet lost any significant amount of weight, but they felt so much better because they were standing taller and not feeling so tight and stiff.
This is a great benefit and an important part of a sound workout program. Any workout is great for burning calories, but a well-planned program, designed for you, should do more than just burn calories; it should help you correct issues in your posture that affect the function of your body that could be causing issues like low back, neck, shoulder or hip pain.
In general, we sit too much and “hunch” over a desk or computer too much. These issues alone cause several things that lead to postural deficits, which can lead to chronic pain and even injury.
Here is what happens when you sit and hunch over a steering wheel, a desk or computer: your hip flexors, hamstrings, the front part of your deltoids and pectorals, and abdominal muscles shorten; and your glutes, several hip muscles and low back muscles lengthen or stretch.
So, here is what you have, many muscle groups down the front side of your body getting tighter and many muscles down the upper part of your back side getting over stretched.
This “front tight, back loose” equation equals bad posture. Your shoulders are slumped, your head may lurch forward, and you are bent over at the waist. These effects may be minor at first, but over the years may become more pronounced.
Here’s the good news: it doesn’t have to be that way. You don’t have to be hunched over, but you do have to be willing to do something about it.
The first step is gaining knowledge. Get your posture assessed and know where you are over tight and where you are over stretched. A knowledgeable trainer can do this assessment.
Next, learn how to correct these problems. Most of the corrections can be worked into your exercise program so that while you are working out, you are fixing the problems.
Finally, don’t ignore your changing posture. If you have chronic issues with a sore neck or low back, even hip or knee pain, many times this is due to postural problems. Have a professional look at you and determine what you need to feel better, look better and age better.