Perfecting good posture

By Elaine Paoloni, amNewYork Features Editor | epaoloni@am-ny.com

February 21, 2007

As you watch the stars sashay down the red carpet at the Oscars this Sunday, take note how tall, lean and well-poised they look. There is no slouching. There is no hunching. There is no underestimating the value of good posture.

"Good posture makes you appear more confident, makes your clothes fit better, and it can also make you look 10 pounds lighter," says Aubrey Graf, a trainer at The Gym. "It also improves your digestion and can reduce your lower abdominal 'pooch.'"

Good posture requires a combination of strong spinal, stomach, butt, arm and back muscles, along with flexibility in your chest and shoulders. To achieve proper position, stand up straight, keep your shoulders pulled back, your chest lifted, your gaze fixed forward, and your weight evenly distributed through your legs and your feet. Remember to engage your powerhouse.

While maintaining this pose can be a workout on its own, Graf offers four specific exercises to help improve your posture:

1. Broom/arm circles
This move opens your chest and increases your shoulder flexibility, reducing the rounded forward look of your upper body.

With your palms facing down, hold onto the ends of a broom or weighted pole resting on your thighs. As you engage your abs and squeeze your glutes, raise the pole above your head, then stretch it behind your back until it rests on your glutes.

The goal is to keep your arms straight as you reach behind your head, but if you need to bend your elbows that is fine.

2. Wall slide with front lift
This exercise strengthens your powerhouse and your thighs, which help maintain good posture. Once you step away from the wall, you will be standing straighter and with tighter abs.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand and lean your back flat against a wall. With your feet shoulder width apart, walk out about three to four steps. Bend your knees and slide your spine down the wall, keeping your abs tight and your back straight. Do not go lower than a 90-degree bend in your knees. Simultaneously, lift your arms forward to shoulder height. Hold this position, then straighten your legs and lower your arms back into starting position.

3. Wall roll down
This exercise gets you in touch with your powerhouse and helps to straighten your spine. Pulling your shoulders flush against the wall opens your chest and strengthens your back.

Start with your back against a wall. Your feet should be about a foot away from the wall. Pull your shoulders back and press your back into the wall with your abs, trying to flatten your spine to the wall. Drop your head forward, and slowly peel your spine off the wall, using only your abs. Once you have gone as low as your hamstrings will allow, slowly roll back up the wall, again using only your abs.

4. Triceps lifts with squeeze
This exercise strengthens your triceps and the muscles that enable you pull your shoulders back and keep your chest lifted.

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, engage your abs and squeeze your glutes. Hold a dumbbell in each hand at your sides, palms facing in. Lift your arms straight back, then squeeze your shoulder blades together. Return to starting position and repeat.