Fitness Tips

Improve your Posture with these Exercises

Slouchy only looks good on boots and bags, but never on you. Improving your posture will not only have health benefits, but will make you look taller, thinner and more confident. Correcting bad posture is important if you don’t want to have joint pain, compromised muscles and reduced flexibility. Improving posture will also spare you loads of back pain, that ninety percent of us suffer from at some point in our lives.

First of all you will need to assess your posture. You will need to have two photo’s taken of yourself, one from the side and one from the front in a form fitting outfit.

First look at your ear. It should be in line with the mid point of your shoulder. If you can see your shoulder blade, then your shoulders are definitely too rounded. Do your hips tilt forward? If your lower spine is over arched, then you have an anterior pelvic tilt. Make sure that your shoulders are level with each other. Look at your knee caps, do they point inwards? You are duck-footed if your feet point out more than ten degrees.

Here are some posture exercises that you can do to improve all aspects of your posture.

Duck Feet

If you have duck feet, your oblique muscles and hip flexors are weak. A good way of correcting this is to get into a push up position with your hands on the floor and your feet up on an exercise ball. Think about not rounding your back as you tuck your knees underneath you and use your feet to roll the ball towards your arms and then slowly back to starting position. Try to do two or three sets of six to twelve reps daily to see an improvement.

Pigeon Toes

If you are on the opposite end of the scale and have pigeon toes, you could have weak gluts. This exercise should help. Lie on your one side with your knees bent in front of you and keeping your heels together, lift your top leg separating your knees and hold the leg up before replacing. Do about two or three sets of twelve reps daily.

Anterior Pelvic Tilt

If your hips tilt forward, then as I mentioned before your hip flexors are tight. Kneel on your left knee and place your right foot in front of you with your knee bent at ninety degrees. Press forwards until you feel the stretch in your left hip. Squeeze you butt muscles on your left side until you feel the front of your hip stretching comfortably. Next reach upwards with your left arm and stretch to the right, holding for thirty seconds. Do this sequence three or four times on each side.

Elevated or Raised Shoulders

If your shoulders are lifted, the muscle running from your ribs to your shoulder blades is weak. Sit tall in an upright chair with your hands next to your hip and the palms on the chair. Use your hands to push on the chair until your butt lifts of the chair seat. Hold for five seconds and do about two or three sets of twelve reps daily.

Rounded Shoulders

If your shoulders are rounded, then there are weaknesses in your trapezius. The trapezius is the muscle that spans your upper back. Lie face down on the floor with each arm at a ninety degree angle out to the side. Raise both arms by pulling your shoulders back and feel as though you are squeezing your shoulder blades together. Try not to change the angle of your arms. Hold for five seconds and repeat two to three sets of reps of these daily. Head too far forward

If you ear is in front of your shoulder blade, then your head is too far forward, and the muscles in the back of your neck are stiffer than they should be. Move only your head and drop your chin down and in towards your breastbone. Feel the stretch in the back of your neck and hold for five seconds. Do this exercise ten times a day for maximum effectiveness.

Doing the above good posture exercises will soothe your postural pain and get all your body parts moving in the right direction.

For more on posture and alignment, visit: http://balletdancing4u.blogspot.com.

-
About the Author:
Find out more about alignment, posture and dancing related things at http://balletdancing4u.blogspot.com
Article Source

Choosing Your Figure Competition Heels

You decided to contend in your first figure show and you are ready to pick out your figure heels. Before you run out to the closest shoe warehouse, stop and ask yourself a few key questions…

When should you get your figure shoes?

What color figure heel to buy?

Can they have a design?

How high of a heel do you need?

Can they contain a platform?

Be sure to buy your figure competition shoes 3-4 months ahead of your figure show to give bountiful time to learn how to walk in them and to practice turns and pivots.

Make sure your figure competition shoes are clear in color. They should not comprise any color such as black, gold, silver, etc. A show clear in color will provide the illusion of an elongated leg. When you wear a shoe with color, such as a black, your legs stop dramatically and it becomes evident that the heel is there. The clear shoe, however, doesn’t draw the judges’ attention away from your shape. You can have a rhinestone design on your shoes, yet keep it minute.

Your figure competition shoe should be a minimum of 5″ high. You need a minimum of 5″ to give your legs an elongated look and your calves proportion for balance, and tightness for the complete package. Regardless of your height, tall or short, you need a figure contest shoe that’s at least 5″.

You can buy a figure heel that you merely slide your foot into or you can purchase one with a strap at the top of your foot. Pick the type of shoe that is comfortable for you and that you can walk easily in.

Pick a figure show shoe a half size smaller. When your heel is 5″ high it shoves your toes to the tip of your shoe, leaving a space at your heel. By sporting a shoe a half size smaller, it will do away with the hole at your heel.

Be sure not to select platforms, because they only make you look clumsy on stage.

Practice walking in your figure shoes. You need to practice walking in your heels around your house before you even think about getting on the figure stage. Walk on solid areas to get the feel for them and to practice balance and control. Be sure to practice your walk in your figure competition heels in from of your trainer or coach.

Once you can control and balance your walk on hard areas, begin walking on carpet so you can practice your turns and pivots. It’s hard to turn on carpet, so, if you can learn to turn and pivot on carpet you can turn and pivot on a hard surface like a figure pro.

Now that you can walk, turn, and pivot in your 5″ heels, it’s time to practice walking while swinging your arms. Hold your head high, keep your tummy in tight, and keep a natural rhythm in your walking. All the practice walking helps to break-in your figure shoes to forbid blisters on your contest day.

-
About the Author:
Want MORE tips on how to prepare and Win your next Figure Competition? Get all the Secrets of the IFBB Pros at http://www.FigureCompetitionSecrets.com
Article Source