Holiday parties are just around the corner. What will people who see you once a year think when you enter the room? How about: “Wow, she looks amazing”? Of course they will. Never mind those few pounds you might have put on. You’re going to look terrific because I am going to teach you a secret.

The secret isn’t a diet, magic drink, or an intense calorie burning exercise routine. It doesn’t take weeks to accomplish or involve deprivation. The one thing that can help you feel confident and look fantastic is your posture.

You’ll look thinner and younger, your clothes will fit better and you’ll glow with confidence. You’ll reap physical benefits, too. Research shows that when you hold yourself upright, you get a surge of hormones that make you feel and appear more powerful. Great posture also helps prevent back pain and reduces stress. Even a slight slouch or hunching of the shoulders will make your midsection look a couple of inches wider than it is. Imagine: Because you’re also pushing your gut forward, you’re actually giving yourself a potbelly!

As your personal trainer (now or in the future), my goal is to help you look thinner, be stronger and feel more powerful.

So, let’s get to it! Do this in front of a full-length mirror. You’ll be amazed.

Stand with your feet about hip width apart with your toes pointing forward.
Now engage your tummy – imagine there is a string going from your belly button to your spine and someone is pulling on it slightly. Your tummy should feel pulled in slightly but not sucked in
Bring your shoulders down away from you ears and pull your shoulder blades back slightly. You should feel your chest expand.
Imagine someone is pulling on your ears to lengthen your neck. Your chin may come slightly down but not too far.

Practice! You want this to become automatic before you walk into a family gathering or holiday party. Aim to do it all the time: standing tall and confident in line at, say, Vons or the Meadows Deli-Market. (I wonder if they’d let me put a sign on the counter? “Amy sez: Pull those shoulders back! Suck that tummy in!”)

Granted, it takes a while for good posture to become automatic. Doubtless that’s why technology has come to the aid of slouchers and hunchers. The Lumo Lift (Google it) is a little device that you clip onto your shirt below your collarbone or wear on your bra strap. It gently vibrates when you need to straighten up. The downside is it’s a bit pricey. (Actually, it costs more than several private sessions with a personal trainer.)

The next time we meet as trainer-client, friends or neighbors, I will understand—and sympathize—if you’ve forgotten to stand tall. On the other hand, now that you’ve read this, running into me might be a gentle reminder. If you immediately roll your shoulders back, pull in your tummy and hold your head high, I promise we’ll both be pleased.

Healthy Holidays

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