Posture Tips for Clients

We asked fitness professionals the question: “What Is The Most Effective Posture Tip You Give Clients?” Here is a sampling of their answers:

“I give clients these suggestions to consider outside of their workout session (when most people tend to pay more attention to their posture):

1. Note how balanced your muscles feel in relation to each other. Top to bottom, side to side and front to back. Do you feel one side of your body working more than the other? If so, what adjustment can you make to feel more 360-degree, balanced muscle action?
2. Look for easy ways to adjust your physical environment to promote better posture automatically. For example, while you are in your car, adjust the rearview and side mirrors so that you can see into them properly only when you are seated with good posture. This strategy makes it more likely that you will find yourself in a better position, rather than having to think about putting yourself there.

Our posture is determined by the positions we put ourselves in most often when we are not moving rather than by what we do to correct poor posture, although corrections are important. Paying attention, hour by hour, to how the body is positioned in space and making small adjustments to stay in a more efficient, balanced position will make that position our default posture.”

Jonathan Ross
Owner, Aion Fitness
Annapolis, Maryland

“I used to dance, and a dance instructor gave me a posture tip that I have passed on to my clients. I have them stand straight with their feet slightly apart and weight equally distributed on both feet. Usually, weight is on their heels. I ask them to shift their weight to the balls of their feet, alleviating the pressure on their lower back. I then ask them to imagine a string pulling their head up toward the ceiling.”

Donna Meeker Orourke, MPH
ACE-Certified Personal Trainer
Owner, DMO Fitness
Clifton, New Jersey

For more answers to this question, please see “What is the most effective posture tip you give clients?” in the online IDEA Library or in the February 2015 print issue of IDEA Fitness Journal. If you cannot access the full article and would like to, please contact the IDEA Inspired Service Team at (800) 999-4332, ext. 7.