Does Your Fat Stomach Bother You part 6
by Michael Hannon
(Rawai, Phuket, Thailand)
6)Posture and Fat loss
Are you tired of fastening your jeans up with a clothes hanger? Have you ever been congratulated on being pregnant when you're not actually? Does it make you angry to look down and not be able to see your abs? Does your inability to change your ab aesthetic upset you? If these statements apply to you then please read on as there is a solution.
I know what you're thinking; "how the hell can posture have anything to do with fat loss".
Well though it may not be obvious, there is, as there always is, a holistic connection. Let me explain how when Momma said "sit up straight" she was on to something.
Ideal posture:
"That state of muscular and skeletal balance, which protects the supporting structures of the body against injury or progressive deformity, irrespective of the attitude in which these structures are working or resting. It is during a state of ideal posture that the muscles will function most efficiently"
Posture - The CHEK Approach by Paul Chek
Posture and aesthetics.
I'm not going to delve into the technicalities and obscure medical terminology that is sometimes used in posture articles. It's going to be very simple.
Women that slouch need to ask themselves "do you like sagging breasts". Nipples that point south aren't usually what most women, i meet are looking for. Slouching just encourages gravity to do what it's inevitably going to do but at a faster rate. Slouching and jogging, as a women is, "perky suicide".
Men also look much more masculine with an upright posture.
Lets talk about the abs. Slouch and look at your abs, now sit up and now look. What usually happens is the abs look better, slimmer, healthier, sexier etc, when in a more upright posture.
If you measure your waist in a slouched position then when upright there can be 1-2+ inch lost instantly and all you have to do is bring your chest up.
Now that your chest is up, create a slight bit of tension in the abs by bringing in the belly button slightly. This should further reduce your waist and improve appearance instantly.
Get your butt cheeks involved by squeezing them slightly and "boom" your posture is better and you look sexy. Chest up, abs in, tense butt, look better.
Posture Breathing
When your shoulders are rounded and up which is the case for 99% of all office workers, breathing becomes rapid and erratic. This in turn activates the Sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system, which then leads to digestion halting-try having a slim looking waistline when you haven't had a dump in 2 days, Cortisol increasing and an increased likelihood of feelings of anxiety. To alleviate these feelings of anxiety comfort food is typically consumed.
Posture and Psychology
I attended what was essentially a NLP lecture. At one point the instructor had the class stand up, get ourselves into good posture, have a small smile on our faces and think of the best things in our lives. After this we were instructed to think of the most horrid, unjust occurrence in our lives. Almost instantly every one of the attendees rounded there shoulders, lost there smile and dropped there heads i.e. poor posture. Then we were instructed to keep good posture and the smile and keep thinking of the most horrid thought. It was impossible to vividly and emotionally get involved with the horrid thought if good posture was held. We all learned that posture effects emotion, essentially the way we feel. Depressed people walk around with rounded shoulders and forward head posture and confident, driven people walk with there chest up, heads up.
The good thing about posture is we control it and can change it instantly.
So if don't want to have digestive issues, depression, anxiety and comfort food cravings but want more confidence, improved digestion and a slimmer waist remember abs in, chest and head up.
Michael Hannon shares his many years of experience as a personal trainer in this thought provoking and witty article on exercise and weight. Is Exercise Making You Fat?
He has also contributed several other articles where you will find the same insight, thought and humor:
Do you have a question for Michael Hannon? Michael has been passionately involved in helping people reach their health and fitness goals for 6 years. He specializes in achieving fat loss through resistance training and healthy eating habits.
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