I am always thinking how we can maintain mobility as we age. How we stand is part of that equation. Think about how you stand throughout your day.
Do you shift the weight of your body into one leg or the other?
Do you stand with your weight shifted onto one hip or the other?
Do you roll in or out on your feet? (Check the heels of your shoes - an easy way to see if you wear one side out faster than the other and how you roll.)
Are your shoulders rounded forward?
Is one shoulder higher than the other?
Is your chest lifted or concave?
Where is your gaze?
Does your head tilt in one direction or the other?
Does your back round forward? (upper, middle, lower)
Do you lock in your knee joint? (hyperextend) Or are you bowlegged or knock-kneed?
Did you stand a little taller while you were thinking of these questions and making observations. If so, you have already started the process of assessment, an important step in becoming self aware. How we stand is habitual and these habits have been formed over years and decades. Maybe you always wore a purse over your right shoulder and not a backpack?
As we age, different physical habits cause some muscles to tighten and others to stop activating and grow weak. Our bones can get pulled out of their natural alignment. Good posture is the key to muscle and joint alignment and ultimately, a healthy body, capable of doing all that you want and need it to do. Make standing an integral part of your routine to maintain mobility as you age.
Think about your posture next time you are standing in line at a store -
Am I wearing my crown? From the top of your head down to your feet, feel lengthened through your entire body & spine
Distribute the weight evenly in your feet
Lift your chest. NO SLOUCHING !
Turn on your powerhouse muscles - wear your corset!
BREATHE deeply into your 3D ribcage.
Imagine you're walking out onto a stage and GROW TALL my friends.
- yours in health and wellness
Christy