by Lisa Marie Mercer

Created on: October 18, 2008   Last Updated: October 30, 2008

While Americans spend billions of dollars on fitness and weight loss products, the real secret to looking slimmer and healthier is closer to home than you think. It's called posture. Posture is the structural base through which all movements begin, and all movements end. Thus, movements that begin in faulty posture usually end in movements that look gawky and unattractive. Consider the song, "Something in the Way She Moves." Movements that "attract like no other lover" must begin in perfect posture.

Speaking of movements, many people erroneously view posture as being static. Posture is actually quite dynamic. As you transition from movement to movement, dynamic postural alignment allows you to adapt to external forces, and thus move with grace and fluidity. Conversely, poor posture creates changes in your center of gravity, resulting in functional inefficiency, which puts us at war with the forces of nature. Sensing instability, our necks tense, our jaws tighten and our heads jut forward. Our knees lock and our legs stiffen. In contrast, correct posture allows our knees to soften as they align with our ankles. Our ribs are relaxed, our ears are aligned with our shoulders and our eyes are focused straight ahead. Most important, our core muscles are active.

Many people associate the word "core" with the muscles used for performing crunches. This is only partially true. Crunches use the superficial layer of abdominal muscle, which is used for spinal flexion. These muscles are designed to be fast twitch muscles for quick burst of activity. Ironically, by sitting flexed at our computers and then performing hundreds of crunches, we incorrectly use these muscles as slow twitch or endurance muscles. As a result, the real slow twitch muscles such as the transverse abdominal muscles become inactive. Since the deep core muscles are designed to keep the torso upright throughout the day, weakening these muscles creates a slouched posture.

Thus, activating the deep core musculature is the first step to postural improvement. Try this: Take a breath in. As you exhale, draw your navel towards your spine. Hold this contraction for ten seconds. Release and repeat. Performed ten times daily, this exercise will serve as a wakeup call for your core muscles.

Once core activation is established, the next step is to correct upper body muscular imbalances. Consider Michelangelo's exquisite statue of David. Notice the definition in his chest and back. Now, let's put David at a computer desk

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