Do you ever look at the models you see on the runway at fashion weeks around the world and pay attention to the way they carry themselves? It may seem like they are just lucky people who were made that way, but actually, it's a part of a model's job to make sure they have great posture, and it is a big part of why clothes hang so well on them. While you may not be looking for a job as a runway model, maintaining good posture has a lot of important benefits for normal people too. It will make you look slimmer, taller, and like you move more gracefully, and it will also prevent a lot of pain and problems. Poor posture is something that just about everybody has to some degree, and there are a lot of reasons why it develops. This can cause muscle tension, make you more prone to injury when you exercise, and can even lead to more severe issues like chronic lower back pain as you get older.
Luckily, there are a lot of things you can do by yourself to avoid and rectify postural defects, once you know what the most common issues are and whether you have any of them. There are exercises and stretches you can do to try and make your body feel natural in the correct postural positions, and over time, you can use them to break bad habits and get rid of ugly but common issues like carrying your head too far forward, pointing your feet outwards when you stand or walk, slouching your shoulders, or arching your butt outwards. You can find a lot of resources to help explain posture issues and how to fix them on fitness websites.
Another thing you will need to do if you want to commit to having better posture is to look at how your wardrobe might be affecting things. There are some habits we get into from the clothes we regularly wear that can play havoc with good posture. This doesn't mean you have to stop wearing things that can lead to worsening posture altogether, but simply be aware of them so that you vary what you wear and don't end up suffering!
Here are some of the ways your style may be causing problems for you when it comes to good posture:
Carrying A Heavy Shoulder Bag
Who doesn't love bags? Bags are practical, and sometimes they can be the most satisfying fashion purchases, given you can wear them just about every day no matter what outfit you have chosen. However, if your bag is overly heavy, or you choose shoulder bags that you always carry on the same shoulder, you can end up with imbalances in your muscles from putting all that weight on one side. Travel light where you can, and if possible, try and vary your shoulder bags, to bags you carry in your hand like clutches, bags you wear across the body, and even backpacks.
Wearing The Same Height of Heel
Heels can actually help tone your legs, but if you always wear them, you can experience a shortening of your calf muscles along with general off-balance posture. It is best to vary the height of the heels you wear, if you wear them at all, and also to sometimes choose shoes that offer more support, like boots.
Wearing the Wrong Kind of Sneakers
Sneakers are great as a casual fashion choice, but you can actually find issues if you live in the wrong sort of sports shoes. Fashionable sneakers like Converse that have very little shape to the sole are really no better than those old plimsoles you had to wear for gym class as a kid. They offer no arch support, and so while they may feel fine for a day out shopping or hanging out with friends, they shouldn't be your go-to shoes for long walks or any kind of exercise that puts a lot of weight on your feet.
You can actually address some postural issues just by looking at the shoes you wear when you work out. If you can identify that you have a problem, such as dropped arches in your feet, then you should look here for the best running shoes for flat feet and wear these to give you support when you exercise. There is really no harm in wearing running shoes as regular fashion sneakers if you like the style, but most other types of sports shoes, such as tennis shoes and baseball shoes, while they can be worn for fashion too, shouldn't really be worn as your general walking sneakers.
Wearing Poorly Fitting Bras
For women, another contributor to bad posture can be bras that don't offer enough support, causing the weight of the breasts to be distributed in a way that makes it hard to keep your back and shoulders in the correct positions all day long. A huge percentage of women are thought to be wearing the wrong size of bra at least some of the time, and so it can really pay to get professionally measured and fitted in a specialist lingerie shop every year or every time your body undergoes a major change like weight loss or gain, or pregnancy. If you are feeling aches and pains in your upper back, neck, and shoulders, your bras can be a factor even if you do not have an especially large bust, so this is definitely worth correcting if you want the best posture and the sleekest silhouette!
As you can see, the things you choose to wear and use can really impact how you hold your body, and because you become physically used to them, you may not even notice that the clothes, shoes, and bags you wear every day may be having an effect on how you stand and walk. Take a look at your everyday wardrobe and see where you might be negatively affecting your posture, and where you can make some simple changes!
