“Stand up straight!”

If I had a knut for every time my mother said that I’d have a fistful of galleons by now! Darned if she isn’t right, though.

Your posture and carriage have an enormous effect on your wellness. If you’ve ever had a backache, neckache, or tension headache caused by poor posture, you’ll know exactly what I mean. Poor sitting posture can aggravate digestive troubles and even lead to permanent nerve damage in back, neck, shoulders or arms. Carrying yourself with too much tension makes you more likely to fall and injure yourself.

Posture and carriage also tell the world how you feel about yourself. Tall people who slump or self-consciously stare at their feet while moving are not projecting the best possible images of themselves. Overweight people who walk with their toes pointed outward look more ungainly than they really are. Overweight and older people alike tend to tense up and conserve their motion, making them seem either sluggish or frail.

While “posture” describes how we hold ourselves up, “carriage” describes how we move ourselves and our souls from place to place.

So, is your soul driving a Mercedes convertible or an old junker? Is your carriage grand and comfortable or squeaky and creaky? Adjusting carriage and posture is one of the simplest yet most rewarding habit changes we can make.

You don’t need to be a runway model or a movie star to carry yourself more attractively and comfortably. Nearly all of us could use my mum’s reminder – but pleasantly rephrased, please! This month’s first rule is very simple.

Rule #8: Carry yourself well.

This is one of the easiest wellness habits we’ll practice this year, but it’s one that gives immediate gratification.  When you carry yourself well, you instantly project more confidence at the same time that you relieve tension all over your body. Standing and walking well can make you look younger and thinner with minimal effort.  It’s also the safest and best lead-in to changes in your other fitness habits, particularly if you are not currently very physically active.

If you find that standing up straight is work you might be doing it wrong. Many people (including my seventh grade gym teacher) think that good posture involves tensing muscles unnaturally. I can still hear her barking at us: “Heads up! Shoulders back! Chests out! Tummies in! Butts under! Toes forward!”

These three simple tricks will immediately improve your posture and carriage – virtually painlessly.

Puppet on a String: You are being painlessly pulled upward by a string on the top of your head. Since you’re hanging by that thread, the rest of your body is mostly relaxed. You should find that your shoulders are relaxed and you’re leaning ever so slightly forward. When you move forward, your “puppeteer” is still pulling you upward as well as forward. Using this trick will tend to make your stride a tiny bit faster, but that’s a good thing.  You’ll look more confident and purposeful while you get a bit of a workout.

Eyes Forward, Toes Forward: Look into the middle distance of where you’re heading, and make sure your toes point to your destination, not to the side. If you’re accustomed to walking with your toes slightly to the side you may have to widen your stance a tiny bit to keep your balance. And you’ll probably also notice a slight tugging sensation at your hips or knees. If you feel any pain or feel any clicking of joints, ease up a bit. As with most stretching, gradual is best. It might take you several days to stretch your ligaments and muscles enough to walk comfortably with your toes pointed straight ahead.

Walk with Purpose: This doesn’t mean you need to run. But it does mean that should never walk like you’re scuffing along in your bedroom slippers unless you’re actually in your bedroom slippers. Remember, your posture and your carriage are some of the first things other people notice about you. Walk with purpose, even if it’s just across the room.

Homework alert: As with most changes, you need to find a trigger to remind yourself to do it regularly.  This one is very simple.  Every single time you see your reflection anywhere, do a quick check to make sure that you’re carrying yourself well.  Check for tension, especially in the jaw and shoulders. Correct your posture, especially if you’re sitting.  Make sure not to slump.

When I say “reflection” I mean any reflection from any surface.  Whether that reflection is in a mirror, or a window, or a toaster, or a computer monitor, or a puddle makes no difference. That should have you paying attention to your carriage numerous times a day.  (And it wouldn’t hurt to use that to remind you to smile, too.)

If you find walking is uncomfortable look down and check out your shoes.  Shoes are the “wheels“ of your “carriage.”  Lousy wheels mean a lousy ride. If your legs, feet, or back are tired after a couple of hours of standing or walking, then your shoes are to blame.  End of story.

You deserve better. Invest in at least one pair of shoes that actually make you feel energized. Wear them when you’re going to be on your feet a lot.

This doesn’t mean that you should totally shun high heels. They have their place. But you should never buy painful shoes, no matter how cute they look.

As a side note – if you ever need to get a lot done around your house, go put on socks and shoes with laces.  You’ll be done in record time and have a lot more energy left when you’re done. As FlyLady says, “Shoes tell your brain it’s time to get to work!”

If you fidget a lot when you’re sitting it’s a sure bet that your chair is to blame. In institutional settings like school or work, you may or may not be able to do anything about it. For instance, large offices may have a choice of seating available, but most smaller ones don’t. Schools are notorious for providing terrible seating. You’ll probably have to concentrate on making your home seating as supportive as possible. That goes double for those of us who use our computers extensively.

This link has very helpful information about adjusting office chairs to fit your body (and when to ask for a new one!):

http://www.spine-health.com/topics/cd/ergo/ergo05.html

And it’s always advisable to get up from whatever seating you’re in at least once per hour, preferably to take a short walk. Sitting for an extended period of time, even with good posture, can lead to serious circulation problems.

Martial artists know an awful lot about carriage. Good balance and effective breathing are key components of every discipline. This link will take you to a very nice Aikido karate website if you’re interested. (This is by no means required for class.)