Are you erasing your weight loss efforts with this bad habit?

February 9, 2016 Ashley 0 Comments

You hit the gym non-stop to look hot. You eat clean and green.

But are you missing the biggest key to compliment your cardio routine?

The thing that sheds those last ten to fifteen pounds?

The way you carry yourself?

Yes, posture.

We’ve all heard it so much in our formative years, that our minds all but shut down when we hear someone else tell us to improve it. Why? Because it’s hard. We lean forward at our desks, steering wheels, and to talk to our friends who live in the brick built by Apple. Then, when we finally catch a glimpse of ourselves in the mirror, it’s a horrifying wake up call. “Do I really look like that? And why? And how long before the villagers chase me back to Dr. Frankenstein’s lab?” Aside from looking unsightly, poor posture’s completely capable of also making us look pudgy. According to personal trainers, this is because of what happens when you slouch. By doubling over, inches get trimmed from you height. That may not sound so bad, but what that means is that (from everyone else’s filter of perception), you’re taking your body mass and squashing it down like a frat boy to a beer can. The result? All those hours of Tabata and Soul Cycle are for naught, optically speaking. ’cause you look shorter and squatter to everyone else. (Not to mention the fact that it adds rolls to your midsection.) But, according to Sue Fleming (the workout guru who created Buff Fitness DVD’s), there’s a simple fix:

“When your body is in alignment, your head is sitting squarely on your shoulders, and your shoulders are pulled back with your core muscles pulled in, you not only increase your height and stretch out your body mass, making you look thinner, but you’re also projecting an image of confidence, of being more alert, and more youthful — all of which makes you look more attractive.”

Don’t believe the pros?

Yeah, I also always thought it was kinda eye-roll worthy till I saw a candid picture of myself at the end of a long day. There was I, all slouched over while getting my first (and last) tattoo. And I cried a little to see that I looked like a keg with limbs reluctantly slung at its sides – espesh since I was at my lightest weight. I never looked like this in my usual snaps. What gives? That’s when the importance of posture dawned on me. It’s what a lot of the fitness models of social media use to their advantage. More than once have I caught a tagged (and quickly untagged by the tag-ee) picture of a beauty I know, looking a bit thicker than the unfiltered selfie shot an hour before – all on account’ve a bad angle or hunched shoulders. Is it an eyeball lie? Maybe. But when I saw this IG trainer uncover her “skinny” secrets, I felt half betrayed… and half ready to take notes:

(Per her post: all she did was put on looser, darker bottoms, pop her hip, box her stance, and bend her elbow.)

In the end, I think the biggest note to takeaway is something Fleming hit on above – that confidence and alertness you get when you stand tall. It reminded me of a fascinating TED talk Amy Cuddy did on changing your posture to change your reality. Within two minutes of “power posing” (which is just a fun way of saying “holding good posture”, people who did this confidence asana (versus those who didn’t) experienced measurable drops in cortisol, a higher willingness to take chances, and even higher testosterone levels. This may sound totally irrelevant to weight loss, but it’s not. Not when you consider how crucial the mind body connection is in aiding any life quest – especially your fitness path. Think about it. All those days you eat emotionally or skip the gym, are you feeling like a crown laden maiden? Or more like life jumped you for your bejeweled headpiece and beat you with it? This is probably why the yoga mill churns out a lotta lean folk. Once you harness that posture confidence, your body sends a message consistent with that to your brain. As a result, you feel secure enough to make rational decisions that serve you; you feel capable of taking on the world…. Starting with that gym sesh you wanted to skip.

While the solution’s simple, I won’t claim it’s easy to apply. There’s a lot of thought modification involved. When you first start out, thrusting your cups forward and throwing your shoulder blades back – it may feel awkward. Even inauthentic. But it’s not about the unhappy you you’re leaving behind. It’s about who you’re becoming. The more you do it, the more it will become the authentic “you”. So, focus on that. (And enjoy the positive feedback you’ll get from your fellow species members in the meantime.) In that way, proper posture can help you lose weight – both indirectly in how it effects your think organ… as well as immediately, on a visual level.

(Just ask this guy):

Alright. So maybe Caucasian me won’t morph into Beyonce in two minutes or two years. But I can’t deny how much my life and health have changed since I saw that unsightly snap of myself and started consciously stacking my body bones better. So, don’t let your Quasimodo proclivities undo all your calorie eradication. If you’re only just realizing the abomination that is your posture, try taking up a yoga practice, Youtubing some videos on how to de-slouch, or even visiting a physical therapist. Think of your stance-in-the-making as part of your weight loss routine. Something to stick out and commit to.

And, if you do, I have a “hunch” you’ll be happy with the results.