"You Don't Have To 'Stand Up Straight' To Get A Good Standing Posture."
In fact, any effort you make to stand 'correctly' will usually make things worse! Take a look at the photograph below and check out the three common standing postures.
The slump (left), attention (center) and poised (right) standing positions require very different muscular activity to maintain. Which position do you think requires the least effort?
Answer: The Poised Stance.
When you look at the photo it's obvious isn't it! The slump requires muscles to work in order to prevent us collapsing forward. The attention stance puts far too much tension in the lower back and shortens the spine.
The 'poised' stance uses the least amount of effort simply because there is no unecessary tension in the body as all of the body segments are balanced on top of one another. I have placed a line down from the location of the atlanto-occipital joint (where you head sits on top of your spine). Notice where the line passes down the body – in C the weight of the head passes directly down the spine and through to floor requiring less muscle activity to maintain balance.
Check which one most closely represents your standing posture – ask your partner to get the right answer!
How To Correct Your Standing Posture
Here Is The Big Question: can you correct your standing posture without going into 'attention'?
Try it. Ask you friends to do the same. I bet that the majority of people you ask to 'stand up straight' will end up looking like a soldier on the parade ground.
The problem is that once we have lost the natural poise of our youth, we struggle to get it back! What was once taken for granted can not be regained by trying harder.
Did you have to concentrate on good posture when you were young? No. Simply because you had yet to develop the bad habits that pulled you out of shape.
You may find it difficult to achieve poise if your muscles are habitually too tight or too slack. Imbalances develop with continued poor body use and it becomes harder to overcome the longer we leave it.
The techniques used in my program are based on The Alexander Technique and will show you how you can eliminate the poor habits that prevent your body from achieving an effortless, upright posture.
