A Few Simple Steps To An Elegant Posture
Your posture is the key to looking and feeling healthy, attractive and young. Whatever your age or physical structure, our modern lifestyle of sitting in cars, behind desks, and on sofas, takes it's toll on our backs, shoulders, bellies and chests, not to mention the legs. Our muscles adopt the laziest way to hold our bodies over time, and without proper exercise, causes us to look tired, out of condition, and certainly not at our best.
Here a few of my tips to bring your posture to a better shape. Try each of the exercises daily, about 15-20 repetitions and you will notice a significant difference in a couple of weeks.
1. Swan port-de-bras
This exercise you can do either sitting or standing. If you are sitting, you will also get a benefit from working your abdominal muscles.
Open your arms to the sides extending them in full length. Lift the arms up dropping your fingers down. Then reach up with with the fingers and push both arms down bending through the your wrists and elbows.
Make sure that your back is held straight and shoulders pushed down, shoulder plates should be tight so your shoulders don't move as you lift your arms up. Apply some resistance as you move your arms to gain better results.
2. Back Twist
Open your arms to the sides extending them in full length. Twist your body and arms to one side without slouching in your back. Come back straight and repeat a twist to your other side. Always reach to your maximum extension and don't lift the shoulders. Concentrate in moving from your waist not from the arms or shoulders.
3. Twist with the legs
If you are doing the above exercise sitting, try also adding the knee. Bend your opposite leg as you twist, slowly drawing the knee close towards the chest, keeping lower back straight.
4. Back Twist with port-de-bras
In the next exercise is important to keep the resistance in your pelvis, especially if you are trying the exercise standing up. Hips should stay still as you will move your upper body and shoulders around. Bring both arms in the rounded position up in front of your head, shoulders should be pushed down and back kept straight. ( 3rd arm position in ballet, in some schools also call it 5th). Twist your shoulders keeping the hips straight and open both arms to the horizontal position, palms are facing down. Bring arms back up to initial position, straighten up and repeat the twist with opening the arms to the other side.
5. Boat
The next exercise is also great if you want to strengthen your back. Laying on the front, keep you legs apart and arms in from of you. Lift your arms and legs at the same time, keeping the legs straight and arms rounded in front of you. Hold the legs up and open the arms to the sides, keep lifting the chest of the ground and bring the arms back in front of you. Lower it down.
Keep practicing and you will notice the results coming quickly. If you would like some guidance, try our online classes:
http://www.balletbodysculpture.com/online-classes.html