If you want to make over your body in seconds, the little trick lies in your posture. It's the one thing that can make an average body look great, and a good body look bad
If you want to make over your body in seconds, the little trick lies in your posture. It's the one thing that can make an average body look great, and a good body look bad
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Bollywood hotties Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor walked the ramp for Rohit Bal's show last October and carried off designer threads with pucca model aplomb; keeping the head straight, chin slightly up, eyes forward, chest out and throwing their shoulders back made them look taller and more appealing.
pic/Subhash Barolia
You are born a multi-tasker. You hit the gym before work every morning, make a killer impression at that important meeting, squeeze in a healthy lunch and a few snacks through the day and catch up with friends before heading home to get some beauty sleep. Eight hours later, though, no matter how many calories you burn under the eagle eye of your trainer or how fashionable your wardrobe is, you feel fat and slightly sore around your neck and back. Why, you wonder? You, like a lot of other people, may be suffering from bad posture.
Don't shortchange yourself
You may have the body of Bipasha Basu (well, almost), but it's all going to go to naught if you aren't carrying yourself right. Slouched shoulders, downcast eyes and consequently, a protruding tummy, subtract oodles from your oomph. Even worse, they can cause chronic neck and back problems. According to physiotherapist Dr Pramod Johar, almost 50% of his patients suffer from postural problems. "A sedentary work scenario in which you are required to sit hunched in front of the computer for long hours, and carrying heavy laptop cases contribute to the problem," he says.
Aside from taking care of pain and soreness, a good posture gives your body a makeover in seconds, taking the focus off that paunch, if you have one. As yoga expert Shameem Akhtar explains, "When you are sitting or standing incorrectly, hunched over, you are projecting an image of emotional and physical discomfort." Johar says good posture improves confidence, even sexual performance because it contributes to good overall health. In short, it makes you look and feel better.
How bad is bad posture?
Quite bad. In fact, Dr Anil Patil, consulting physician in holistic and integrated medicine, lists quite a few fallouts of bad posture: "It can cause back and neck spasms, spondylosis (a condition where the shape of the spine changes), spondylitis (an inflammation of the vertebral joints) and a stiff back and neck." So, if you don't want to look and feel 50 at 30, you need to take good care of your neck and spine.
You better Stand tall
The correct posture isn't just about sitting up ramrod straight. In fact, it's the very opposite of that. As yoga therapist Mallika Bhanot says, "Many people think that good posture means sitting and standing up absolutely erect. That's a big misconception. The spine has a natural curvature that needs to be maintained, and over straightening it will cause problems. At the same time, drooping shoulders create a hunch that shifts the centre of gravity of your body."
Johar suggests that you stay erect, but not unnaturally so. Keep your head straight, neck neutral, chin slightly up, eyes forward, and chest out. Roll your shoulders back. At the same time, don't hunch in front. Suck you stomach in and stay straight, yet comfortable.
Who got it straight?
"Shoulders back!" you want to scream, when you see some stars.
These guys are off-centre: Kirsten Dunst, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, Paris Hilton, Mischa Barton, Hugh Grant, Benicio Del Toro, James Gandolfini and even apna Chi-chi
Those who got it right: Lara Dutta, Sushmita Sen, Deepika Padukone, Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry, Charlize Theron, Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington, Pierce Brosnan
When you take a seat
Crazy deadlines and jobs that have you typing frantically at your keyboard all day, don't let you adopt the right posture. "As the day progresses, people get so immersed in work that they start hunching over their desk, forgetting to take any breaks. Plus, with such hectic lives, young professionals hardly find the time to exercise, compounding the problem," says Johar.
So how do you make sure you are treating your body right at work? Dr Patil has a common-sense approach.
"The spine has a natural curvature that helps to balance the weight of the head, and consequently distributes the weight of the upper torso evenly between the two legs. When you are sitting, always strive to maintain that natural state."
Bhanot suggests that you stay aware of your body's state of balance. "Make sure that your body has its centre of gravity aligned. In yoga, this is called samastith, a state of equilibrium." When you are sitting, let your tailbone touch the back of the chair, and keep your thighs parallel to the floor, and your feet flat on the ground.
When you sit, make sure your hips touch the corners of the seat. Keep your knees at a 90 degree angle, and maintain a little distance between them. Don't cross your legs, it causes imbalance by putting undue pressure on one side of the body. To maintain the natural curvature of your spine, you can roll a small towel and keep it under your lower back.
How to sit right at your desk
Roll your shoulders back, and maintain a reasonable distance from the computer screen or book. If you need to, move closer to the screen or book, but don't hunch or bend forward too much to get closer to it.
Make sure your chair isn't so soft that you sink into it. It should be firm enough to give you required support.
Empty your pockets before you sit. A wallet in one pocket and two cellphones in another aren't going to give your body the balance it needs.
Don't cross your legs. Keep your thighs parallel to the floor, and feet flat on the ground. Adjust the height of your chair accordingly.
5 posture killers, and how to fix them
So you know why it's so important to adopt the right stance, and what it can do to your body if you don't. But do you know that your most common habits may not be very kind to your spine?
1. Driving for long hours
"A lot of urban professionals today, travel great distances to work. The constant sitting and using of the legs while driving, causes neck and back problems," says Bhanot. The solution? Regular yoga exercises, and getting out of the car to stretch whenever possible, maybe even at a signal.
2, Holding phone between your neck and shoulder
This is a common practice when you are busy and multitasking, but is bad news for cervical health. Also remember to switch between your ears if it's a long call because it puts undue strain on the elbow of that one arm and one side of the neck.
3. Sleeping on the wrong mattress
Your mattress should not be too soft.u00a0 It needs to be firm enough to support you spine. Your pillow too, shouldn't be too soft or fluffy. It needs to be just thick and firm enough to match the height between your neck and shoulder.
4. Wearing high heels
You've been told before, and we're telling you again. Comfortable shoes are extremely important for good posture. "When your feet are uncomfortable, the pressure shifts from your heels to your toes. This is especially the case with pencil heels. Pointed shoes are a no-no too. They restrict toe movement and put pressure on ankles and calves because they allow no room for expansion," Bhanot explains.
5. Lugging heavy handbags, laptop cases
You are not doing your body any favours when one arm and shoulder has to do all the work of carrying around the artillery you need through the day. But the solution is much simpler than having to become ambidextrous. "If you have to carry a laptop, carry it in a backpack instead of in a shoulder strap bag. That distributes the weight equally between your shoulders. Else, keep shifting the weight from one side to the other so that you don't strain one side of your body," suggests Johar.
The easy asana that helps you stand, walk straighter
Vrikshasana or the tree pose strengthens your mid-section and sets your body straight. Shameem Akhtar says, "It helps to create balance in the body and corrects any misalignment. It releases tension, both emotional and physical."
How to do it: Stand with feet and palms together. Lift your right foot, turn your knee out to the side. Place sole of right foot on left thigh, anywhere between groin and knee. Press your weight down into your standing leg, pull in your stomach, relax your shoulders and allow head and neck to lift up. Hold position for 5 breaths. Repeat on other side.
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