Looking and Feeling Good

It's my birthday today!! Had such an awesome day! And it's my mum's birthday tomorrow, going to have another awesome day! Turned 17 and feeling great, thought I might change the layout of my blog to celebrate! Will upload photos soon but here's something I think you guys will be interested in. :)


Looking good and feeling good isn't always about make-up and plastic surgery. One thing that people miss but is highly important is our posture. Here's some tips that I follow, taken from newspaper articles and magazines:

1.Stand before a mirror, front on and side on, to see where our problem is. Now stand tall with your feet comfortably apart. Draw in your stomach, draw your pelvis up and move your shoulders down and back. Imagine you've got a thread attached to the top of your head and it's drawing you upwards - feel your body lengthening and straightening. Now look at your posture again. You should look taller and thinner. Try and keep this way often, if you forget it it's alright, changing posture takes a lot of time because it's breaking a habit. But don't ever stop trying.
                                     
2. Exercise your rhomboids. These are the muscles in between your shoulders. To work them, holds your hands together behind your back and draw your shoulder blades together, hold for 10 seconds and release. Do this 5-10 times every day and you'll son see a difference

3. Pay attention. Good posture is a habit and one you'll need to concentrate on until it becomes natural. Every time you stand up, check your posture - is your body in a straight line? Ask your family and friends to remind you to straighten up whenever you're slouching. In my family I'm always the one telling people off when they slouch but for my mum use to be the one telling me off. She doesn't do it anymore because I don't slouch, it's become natural. 

4. When you sit, push your bottom to the back of your chair and sit up straight, with your feet flat on the floor (I just had to readjust myself when typing this, hehe). At work there is a chart instructing us to do this all the time when sitting because we should be doing this at work and at home, even in the car, basically whenever you are sitting. Pull in your core- never waste a chance to whittle your waist.     

5. Try to sleep in a position which helps you maintain the curve in your back, such as on your back with a pillow under your knees; with a lumbar rolled under your lower back; or on your side with your knees drawn right up to your chest, or on your front, especially on a saggy mattress, as this may cause back strain and can be uncomfortable for your neck. My back is extra curvy so it often gets tired, just from simply walking a whole day. It's tired even now... Doing this when sleeping really helps reduce the tiredness of it.  

So now that you have the tips, go use them. Doing is harder to reading... be persistent! 

Louise xx