Ever notice how the bikini models in a magazine or on TV seem to be much sexier than women of the same build in real life? Ever notice how “poised” and “graceful” are two words used to describe some of the world’s most amazing and intriguing women? The one factor they all have in common is good posture. With a little effort and attention, a winning posture can help improve appearance and mindset in unimaginable ways.

CHECK YOUR POSTURE
Screening for bad standing posture is fairly easy. First, stand in front of a full length mirror with your feet shoulder width apart and eyes closed. With your arms relaxed, march in place a few steps and then stop. Keeping your eyes closed, turn the head to the left, then right, then back to neutral. Open your eyes, and look for the following (see illustrations):
• Eyes and nose should be pointing straight forward and not turned slightly to the side. Ears also should be level and not one higher than the other.
• The left and right shoulder should be level with each other while relaxed.
• The upper body should be straight, not tilted to one side or the other.
• Each knee should be straight over the foot and not pointing in or out.
• The feet should be pointing forward with the insides of the feet parallel.

You can also have a friend take your picture so that you can analyze your posture more closely. Now repeat the same steps to analyze your posture from the side. This time, look for the following (see illustrations):
• Your ear should be directly over the shoulder.
• Your shoulder should be directly over your hip.
• Your hip should be directly over your knee, and
• Your knee should be directly over your ankle.

In other words, you should be able to draw a straight line through each. If you notice that everything is not aligned as it should be, move each body part until it is properly aligned. Does it feel comfortable or awkward? If it doesn’t feel natural, these six steps should help.

IMPROVE YOUR POSTURE
Relax and stretch. Yoga and Pilates can help improve the joints and relax muscles and tendons that have built up tension and stress. Movement is the only way to get fluids into the intervertebral discs, helping to improve height by an inch or two as well as keeping the spine healthy. It also brings fluid into the other joints, which reduces the risk of osteoarthritis.

Love the feet. The feet are the foundation of posture, and without good support from the three arches in the feet, they fall flat over time and start twisting the body at all the joints, including the ankles, knees, hips and even the spine. Wearing heels less or wearing heels shorter than two inches will go a long way to reducing the stress on the arches. Stretching the calves by leaving the foot flat on the ground and leaning forward at the knee will also help reduce the stress on the small muscles of the foot. Using a golf ball to massage the bottom of the feet at the end of the day can help reduce pain and increase circulation as well, all helping to improve the posture of the feet over time.

Eat your way to a good posture. Getting the proper nutrients can make sure the bones can support the weight of your new good posture and make sure the soft tissue that connects everything in the body stays stretchy and pain-free. Vitamins such as C, K and D are vital to good bone and tissue health as well as minerals like calcium, magnesium and even strontium. It all starts with a healthy base of green, leafy vegetables and low-glycemic fruits to get a good foundation.

Sleep it off. The position of the body while sleeping can lead to all kinds of posture problems. Imagine holding a bad position for eight hours every day, and that is what happens during sleep for most of us. Ideally, sleep happens on a comfortable mattress, lying face up and using no pillows. This aligns the head with the back, and over time, can get rid of nagging neck and shoulder pain.

Sit up straight. Most of us seem to be sitting all the time either at work or at home. Our bodies just were not designed to sit all day. It puts a lot of stress on the low back and shortens the hip muscles while weakening the back muscles. This causes all kinds of imbalances in standing and walking posture, like the rear sticking too far back or the stomach muscles being weak. If you work at a desk all day, stand up every hour and stretch for three to five minutes so the muscles can move and the joints don’t get dry.

Mind your posture. Keeping good posture in the forefront of your mind for a few weeks can go a long way to reaching posture goals. It takes about 90 days to retrain the brain before an action can become unconscious habit. Leave sticky notes on the mirrors at home, in all purses and at work with encouraging reminders to straighten up. Think about good posture when walking as well as when sitting or standing.

WHO ELSE CAN HELP ME?
Your go-to doctor for posture checkups, maintenance and correction is definitely a chiropractor. A chiropractor can help analyze standing and moving postures. He can check for advanced problems of the spine and joints like scoliosis (sideways twisting of the spine) and osteoarthritis and treat those conditions in many cases or refer the patient to an appropriate specialist.

A chiropractor also can evaluate advanced movements for sports and other physical activities to make sure there are not any posture problems that can lead to injuries. Some will even scan the feet to check for imbalances in the arches and how they affect posture. Remember to ask for appropriate exercises to rebalance the muscles that affect posture as well as tests that can find what nutrients are missing.

A podiatrist (foot doctor) can help address any changes in the shape of the foot that might affect posture like bunions, calluses and hammer toes, especially if you wear high heels. A nutritionist can help get the diet on the right track to make sure the body is getting what it needs to stand up and move straight.

Taking care of posture now will bring confidence and prevent many aches and pains in old age. So what are you waiting for? Finish off that sexy bikini body with some poise and head to the beach!

Published in the May/June 2011 issue, this article was written by Dr. Al Jameson and is reprinted with the permission of Total Body Magazine. To view this article in the full magazine, click here.