When I was growing up, it was my Mom’s mantra that all the girls in the family (there were 7 girl cousins) stood up straight. Literally. She continually admonished us, “pull your shoulders back, lift your chest and hold your head high. Be proud of who you are!”. This is just one of the many Helene-isms that I like to call to mind.
I was reminded of the importance of good posture, especially when one has a full bust, last week while traveling. I worked all day with a new business associate, bless her heart, whose posture resembled the shape of a crescent moon.
If you’ve been blessed with a full bust – and you probably have been or you wouldn’t be reading this blog – it is imperative that you stand up straight. The following are my pointers to good posture:
- Pull your shoulders back. Not in a militaristic or contrived manner, but in a relaxed and purposeful way. To find a natural position, lift the shoulders to the ears, and then roll them to the back. Where the shoulders stop is a good resting place for them.
- Lift the chest. I like to envision a string attached to the top of my head. We want to pull that string so the entire body is lifted to a taller stance. This is especially important for short-waisted women who have four inches or less between the bottom of the rib cage and the top of the hip bone.
- Aim for a steady gait when walking. We usually aren’t standing still, our posture comes into play when working, walking, etc. Whether you are hurriedly going from meeting to meeting in three inch heels or you are casually going about your errands in flat boots, train yourself to lift your entire leg (think knee lifts here), not just swing the lower leg around. Then gently place your foot on the ground. Remember, we are elegantly and stately creatures, no hoofs flopping down.
Now, over to you. Firstly, what are your posture pet peeves? Either in yourself or what you observe in others. Do you ever just want to pull someone’s shoulders back because you know they’d look so much better standing up straight? Secondly, if you have any secrets that you use to train yourself to have better posture, please share.
