Certain women seem to embody the term of a “lady” perfectly…

Audrey Hepburn and Jacqueline Kennedy come to mind but there are many out there.

So I began thinking,

what makes these woman seem

more elegant and more lady-like?

One of the first things that popped into my mind was their statue, their posture. Yikes! This is an area I struggle with (I like to blame a slight case of scoliosis) and I began to wonder how others perceive me. Could my posture be sending un-ladylike vibes?

I decided this week, I’m going to work on my posture and I encourage you to notice yours as well.

Posture refers to the body’s natural alignment. Good posture means we are distributing our weight evenly and properly so that no one area is overwhelmed. Bad posture can lead to the obvious neck and back aches and headaches. I’ve also learned that poor posture can lead to problems with digestion, breathing, and issues with your muscles, joints and ligaments. And I was just worried that it looked bad…how vain am I?!

Ok, so my posture sucks and now I know it can lead to major trouble down the road. Here are a few strategies I’ve rounded up that I plan on implementing now.

Sitting~

1. Align your back with the back of the chair.
2. Avoid slouching or leaning forward.
3. Make sure your neck, back, and heels are all aligned.
4. Keep both feet flat on the floor (this is going to be very difficult for me!)

Standing~

1. Stand with weight mostly on the balls of the feet, not with weight on the heels. Avoid locking your knees.
2. Keep feet slightly apart, about shoulder-width.
3. Let arms hang naturally down the sides of the body. (My arms are constantly crossed so we’ll see how this goes)
4. Tuck the chin in a little to keep the head level. Stand straight and tall, with shoulders upright.

While sleeping~ (B says I have the absolute worst sleeping habits; I often find myself in the fetal position)

1. Sleep on your back to help straighten your shoulders
2. Put a rolled-up towel under the neck and a pillow under the knees to better support the spine.
3. If  you must sleep on your the side, place a pillow between the legs to help keep the spine aligned and straight.

Strengthen Your Core

1. Stretch your back muscles.  (I found some great stretches here that I’m going to add to my morning routine)

2. Exercise. (I’m pretty good about remembering my back when working out but I think I need to revisit yoga, which I LOVE, not sure why I haven’t been going, and maybe try a Pilates class, which everyone raves about.

So that’s what I’m going to be working on this week. Hopefully I’ll be able to make a few changes now that will keep me healthy and feeling good way into the future.

And for my fellow moms out there, add one more thing to your list of things to nag your kids about. They’ll thank you one day!

Have a fabulous weekend and make every moment count,

Tanya