Posture – The Way That We Reflect Ourselves To The World
You probably have heard of Venezuela, a country of tropical beauty, full of exuberant women and where the school of beauty queens has become part of the culture of the country. Elegance is a key aspect that stands out in the ideal girl that wears the banner of each province, and confidence and posture is the common element in each participant.
The graceful walk demonstrates the confidence that leads to triumph even without words being spoken. The girls spend hours practicing how to walk erect, with beauty experts, using rigorous tools like books on top of their heads that balance their body weight and with the added difficulty of wearing high heels, ankle flexion increases. Therefore, calves tighten and create a stimulus in the buttocks and lower backpressure.
This is sometimes a painful experience in the hidden side of beauty pageants. And any female fitness competitor in the bikini or figure category has lived and felt it, too. Walking gracefully is an art and like all art, with practice and patience, it can be perfected.
Because of daily routines with our work, we develop neural trauma stress positions from sitting in front of the computer, attending meetings, or standing for long periods of time, carrying portfolios with one arm, backpacks on one side, books, holding smartphones, computers, and the list continues of imbalances created in the body over the years.
As a result, the body develops degenerated muscles that create an imbalance in the spine and we tend to slouch over forward with a tight neck and chest, with our shoulders pronated and pelvic area off balance, which is not captivating.
Confidence and Posture: The Biomechanics
Posture determines not only the anatomical structure of the spine but how we project ourselves to the world. When we see someone with a hump, hunched over with their head down, automatically we make assumptions about the person probably believing that the person is older, maybe lazy or even ill.
You cannot imagine how posture defines you, and biomechanics is what defines your posture: The straighter we are and by maintaining proper posture people will view us as athletic, healthy, and confident, and the question remains: how do we know if we have good posture?
When we look in the mirror, our eyes, shoulders, and hips should be aligned and from sideways we should be able to draw a vertical line from our ears to the shoulders and the hips to the ankles. If you find this difficult to do, just ask a relative or friend who is honest to describe you.
Do not worry about the results though, since identifying an imbalance gives us one more reason to exercise on a daily basis and eliminate the compensation that we have developed on one side or the other.
Postural Misalignment
A common problem is to have one’s head forward since our head can weigh up to 15 kilos on average; imagine the damage this can cause to the muscles of the neck.
This can lead to intense neck and chest pain, pain in the trapezius muscle, and even pain in the lower spinal column, since when the head is positioned forward more than it should be.
Also, the muscles of the lower back become tight and overstretched, creating tension, often debilitating and degenerating this area, further complicating the problem.
Confidence and Posture Imbalance
The connections between health and behavior are complex. It is well understood by most people that our habits affect health. Bad habits acquired through working in an incorrect position or posture can take years to correct, and through an action plan, it is possible to improve these bad habits by re-training not just our body but also our behavior mindfully.
It is said that it takes 21 days to learn a habit. It is crucial to be aware of the situation and to take your steps as soon as you are ready to transform your body and optimize your health starting with your posture alignment. In human beings, posture plays a very important role in communicating nonverbal and emotional signals.
Psychological studies have shown the effects of posture on body emotions. Charles Darwin conducted studies in which he investigated emotion and movement in humans and animals.
Studies have shown that certain positions are a reflection of specific emotions, such as when a person is upset, their body tends to lean forward, however, a person who feels depressed or is normally introspective has their shoulders down and looks with their neck lowered.
We can project everything from trust to insecurity. Naturally, body language, facial expressions, and gestures reflect much more than we think. This is why others perceive us by how we move in the world.
When is the best moment to pay attention to our posture?
Our parents, from their experience, sometimes reminded us in our early years growing, to correct our shoulder blades position, but many times we took the advice the wrong way, and did nothing to correct our mistake and simply continued to forget to straighten our back.
During puberty and adolescence, our bodies elongate really fast, sometimes looking funny with long bones of the body, especially arm and leg bones. Despite the obvious physical changes associated with puberty that occur during adolescence, it is important to recognize that adolescence is a psychosocial stage as well, not just a physical one.
In school, we could be remembered as the most physically attractive of the group or not and this could influence our even greater in our posture. Some young adolescents tailor their behavior at this age and becoming painfully shy and uncertain. They may be embarrassed by their bodies, the changes of their bodies, and by being a reserve, insecure and introspective could be a consequence of the process.
Posture and body language are closely related when we present ourselves to the world
In short, anytime es the right moment to pay attention to our posture, and start improving the way we stand, walk, sit, and lay down. Never is too early. Never is too late.
Effective Tips To Improve Your Posture While Gaining Confidence
An important element of how people can overcome scoliosis and serious back issues is that proper posture is the fundamental key for improvement.
Exercises
Prior to focusing on yoga and developing the abdominal trunk muscles, It is basic to stop and think about how grounded we feel from feet to toes and identify any tight area that requires attention with a medical, fitness professional and If It is necessary to evaluate your spine by requesting an Xrays, ultrasound or MRI to your doctor.
The beauty of working with and recognizing the weaknesses in your own body is that this work involves from the inside out in all aspects. You begin to value yourself more as a person and love yourself for who you are and what you offer to the world.
Expert Advise
When you release yourself from mental pressure, you relieve yourself of the physical demands and now from the moment you wake up you feel like your body is compact and strong from the core out, and so when you open a door and arrive at any event or place, you walk with confidence and greet everyone with respect and a great sense of leadership. By improving posture, you become taller and you take ownership of your health.
For these reasons and more, as a personal trainer, Yoga instructor, and Pilates and fitness professional, I coach posture brain awareness to my clients so they avoid to hunch at any time during my hour of work and exercises. I always ensure that their spine is aligned with each motion and movement.
Additionally, I ensure that proper breathing is integrated within the abdominal wall, and as such, each client and student not only strengthens and activates their muscular trunk but also is recognized as an individual with self-respect and knows that we all have a reason to exist.
Therefore, if you notice that you have a hump or back pain while reading this article, I’m sure that you have corrected it several times by now, and you have taken the first step to improvement by recognizing these problems, and every time you find yourself in front of a mirror, remember to always gracefully and decisively look forward and your dreams and attitude will take you wherever you imagine.