4 Exercises to Improve Your Posture

Good morning sweet friends,

Do you ever slump your shoulders? I often I catch myself with a rounded upper back and shoulders. I know as a middle school girl I was embarrassed by my chest... or lack thereof. I vividly remember my friends complaining of having too much in that department, but I always slumped forward in shame. My mom would always come behind me, tug my shoulders back and tell me to hold my shoulders back and head up high. “Remember your posture, Caro,” she would say on rewind. Now, with my own girls and clients, I hear myself saying the same cues hourly. All this talk about posture had me diving into how to improve our body posture. God then whispered, “nothing happens in isolation— everything is connected, body, mind, and spirit. Your physical posture is important but how is the posture of your heart?”

All this posture talk coincides with a term we use at TransFit “Exercise is Worship.”
Really?!?! Are 50 kettlebell swings considered worship?

But here is what we mean by “exercise is worship”: authentic worship is less about the movement of our body and more about the posture of our hearts.

The posture we assume when we come to know Him instead of trying to do for Him.

The posture we take when our spirit is in awe of the gracious and loving mercy-giver who created everything, yet who loves us so.

The posture we need when we feel at our weakest but through a relationship with Him we can be made strong.

Exercise is worship! Let’s stand tall with our best posture keeping our eyes and heart focused on Him.

Worship is an attitude rather than an activity.

Worship is a gift not an obligation.

Worship is the posture of our heart toward our Savior.

Let our worship be in every minute, every movement, and in every day. Let our hearts remember His loving-kindness toward us, which never ends. Why? Because, He is worthy. He deserves the praise of our whole heart - our best posture.

Let our worship as the posture of our hearts be the way we are inside, instead of something we do or who we are on the outside.

Moving into this holiday season help us all to remember:

It is not the posture of our body, but of our heart, that is most important. Everything we do “flows from our heart.” When we worship, let our hearts be lifted in adoration, gratitude, and humility to our gracious God. Let’s stand taller today, sweet friends, shoulders pulled back, head held high because we have been given the most amazing gifts.

“Lord, direct our focus always toward you and teach us to follow you in gratitude and love. Adjust the posture of our heart to be fixed and focused on your love and grace. Amen”

For your physical posture here are 4 exercises you can do today to improve your posture. Maintaining the natural lumbar curve in your low back is essential to preventing posture related back pain. This natural curve works as a shock absorber, helping to distribute weight along the length of your spine. Adjusting postural distortions can help decrease back pain.

Frequently getting up from a seated position and doing these 4 quick and easy realignment exercises can help you re-educate your muscles and improve your posture.

 1. Wall Angel

Stand with your back against a flat wall with your feet about four inches from the base. Maintain a slight bend in your knees. Your glutes, spine and head should all be against the wall.

Bring your arms up with elbows bent so your upper arms are parallel to the floor and squeeze your shoulder blades together, forming a letter "W" Hold for 3 seconds. Then, straighten your elbows to raise your arms up to form the letter “Y.” Make sure not to shrug your shoulders to your ears.

Repeat this 10 times, starting at “W,” holding for 2 seconds and then raising your arms into a “Y.” Do 2-3 sets.

2. Hip Flexor Stretch

Kneel onto your right knee with toes down, and place your left foot flat on the floor in front of you.

Place both hands on your left thigh and press your hips forward until you feel a good stretch in the hip flexors.

Contract your abdominals and slightly tilt your pelvis back while keeping your chin parallel to the floor. Hold this pose for 20-30 seconds, and then switch sides.

3. The X-Move

Kneel onto your right knee with toes down, and place your left foot flat on the floor in front of you.

Place both hands on your left thigh and press your hips forward until you feel a good stretch in the hip flexors.

Contract your abdominals and slightly tilt your pelvis back while keeping your chin parallel to the floor. Hold this pose for 20-30 seconds, and then switch sides.

4. The V-Move

While standing, stagger your feet so one is slightly behind the other. Grasp the handles, or the ends, of the resistance band and lift your arms upward and slightly outward away from your body about 30 degrees.

Keep a slight bend in your elbows. Stop at shoulder level; hold 3 seconds and return slowly.

Make sure to keep your shoulder blades down and back straight. Repeat this exercise for 8-12 repetitions for 3 sets.

Click on the button below to view a demonstration of each exercise from Caroline! You can also view other exercise and stretch videos on our YouTube channel HERE.

We want to encourage you to finish the last week of November nourishing your body and with the best posture! Please let us know how we can help you live transformed. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a one-on-one, please email us at transfitathens@gmail.com.

Blessings,

Team TransFit

Drawing Strength from Philippians 4:8

The month of October we have focused our thoughts on  Philippians 4:8… ”whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

This verse has really come alive for me through reading the book The 4:8 Principle and through exploring the power of positive thoughts in my own life. I hope it will come alive for you too as we move into the crazy holiday season. Draw strength from it to remember your blessings and triumphs, especially on difficult days.

I wanted to share this excerpt that I read today from the Daniel Plan. It reminds me of how important our thoughts are when are trying to live a healthy lifestyle.

By: Rick Warren

“Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.”(Proverbs 4:23 TEV)

But there’s a better option: Change your autopilot. The same is true with your health habits. To make a lasting change, you must change how you think. Behind everything you do — even your unhealthy habits — is a thought that keeps you from getting healthy.

So friends, I challenge you to change your mindset today!

Tell yourself TODAY is the day I am going to live a healthy lifestyle!

I challenge you to stop making excuses, and start making progress towards reaching your goals! 

As Rick Warren stated, the first step in this is changing our autopilots. Do you typically reach for a soda during lunch or after a long day at work? For a week, try reaching for water or green tea instead. At first it may be difficult but the more you repeat this action, the more ingrained it will become in your mind until it is a habit.

However, this isn't enough unless you also change your thoughts to accompany your new habits. Instead of thinking about how much eating healthy stinks or what you are missing out on, think about the positives of your new choices.  Think about all the amazing foods that you CAN eat! Eating healthy, well-balanced meals will give you more energy and focus during the day, and will provide health benefits in the long term. Regular exercise will allow you to explore the beautiful world around you, and may help you meet some new friends that share your passions.

Please remember that you don't have to do any of this alone. Make a commitment with your family members to eat healthier and support this goal by not keeping junk food in the house. Try a new class at the gym or join a fitness club related to your passions to meet new friends who will hold you accountable to keep exercising. Encourage other friends to meet up for an activity outside, such as a walk around the park, instead of meeting for coffee.

As always, I am available to help with nutrition and different types of exercise. Meal planning can be so helpful during these busy months ahead. Also, if you are looking to run a race or begin running I have recently become a Certified Newton Running Coach. Email me at transfitathens@gmail.com or click on the appropriate tab on the blog on my website www.transfitathens.com for specifics on services on meal planning, personal training, and running coaching.

Blessings and positive thoughts for this week,

Caroline