So, want to look sure of yourself on the dance floor? Reduce your chance of injury? Strike better superhero poses? Now that we’ve covered how proper posture can change your life and how to do it, time to move on with 6 common problems that play havoc with our body-lines.
1. Forward Head
The Problem: Weak, or stiff muscles in the back of the neck.
The Fix: You can stretch your neck muscles by lowering the chin down to your navel and holding it there for 30 seconds. To strengthen the neck muscles, lie on your back with knees bent, and practice nodding the head forward 10 times slowly.
2. Rounded Shoulders
The Problem: Weak lower trapezius and supporting muscles (the muscles that span your upper and mid back).
The Fix: Lie on your stomach with your arms out beside you, elbows bent 90º (like you’re giving the floor a high 5). Pull the shoulders downward and squeeze the bottom of the shoulder blades together to elevate the arms slightly off the floor. Do this 12-15 times. To build proper posture, make sure you aren’t activating the shoulders of upper trapezius (the muscles that bring your shoulders up the ears).
3. Butt Sticks Out (Or, ‘Anterior Pelvic Tilt’)
The Problem: Tight hip flexors, or weak core muscles (or both).
The Fix: Start with the stretch. Take a knee in your best proposal position, and flex the butt muscles until you get a good stretch at the front of the hips. For an added kick, reach up the arm opposite the elevated knee and stretch upward and towards it for 30 seconds. Do 3 on each side.
There are numerous exercises for strengthening the core muscles, but a simple one is to lie on your back with your pelvis tilted slightly forward, and do alternating leg raises, 5-10 per side. If that’s no problem, see if you can elevate both legs at once.
4. Elevated Shoulder
The Problem: Weak upper trapezius, or serratus anterior (connecting your upper ribs to your shoulder blades).
The Fix: If it’s the ‘traps’ impeding proper posture, stretch the offending side by crossing the arm on the elevated side behind the back, and tilting your head away from the same shoulder. To deepen the stretch, apply light pressure on the stretched muscle with your free hand.
For the serratus anterior, try chair shrugs.
Sitting upright in a chair with your hands pushing down on either side of your hips, push your hips off the chair without moving your arms. Hold for 5 seconds per rep, doing 3 sets of 12 reps daily.
5. Pigeon Toes (Toes turned inwards)
The Problem: Weak glutes (butt muscles).
The Fix: Lie on your side with your knees bent at 90º and the heels together. Keeping the hips frozen, lift the top knee so your legs separate like a clamshell. Repeat that 12 times per side, and 2-3 sets daily.
6. Duck Feet (Toes turned outwards)
The Problem: Weak hip flexors and oblique muscles (running down the sides of your torso).
The Fix: This one’s called the Swiss-ball Jackknife.
Assume a push-up position with your feet on top of a Swiss ball. Without rounding the lower back, tuck your knees to your chest by rolling the ball towards you, then straighten to roll it back. Try 2-3 sets of 12 reps daily.
We are now ready to wrap up with a proven strategy for checking in and making sure you are maintaining proper posture. Stay tuned!
Credits
Men’s Health
WikiHow
Woman’s Health Magazine
About the Author
Ian Crewe has been dancing ballroom for almost 20 years, and has a Licentiate in American smooth and rhythm. His passion for dance and his endless seeking for ways to reach new audiences eventually led him to blogging and the World Wide Web. Ian currently teaches ballroom at the Joy of Dance Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.