by Eliza Sterling

Promoting an upright posture not only enhances your physique by making you appear taller and slimmer, but also invigorates your confidence. Anne-Marie Lategan, a practiced fitness expert, has developed some beneficial exercises for posture enhancement.

Quadruple Somatic Core Clinch

This exercise engages the core and pelvic floor. Follow these simple steps:

• Assume a posture on your hands and knees.
• Maintain a neutral spine without arching or rounding.
• Inhale deeply while allowing your abdomen to expand without altering your position.
• Gradually respire and pull your abdomen in, as though your navel is reaching for your spine. Keep a constant posture.
• Persist in breathing out and pulling the abdomen in, and repeat the cycle at a slow pace.

Tips: Maintain your hands beneath your shoulders with slightly bent elbows and your knees directly beneath your hips. While pulling in your stomach and exhaling, avoid rounding your back.

Central Turbine Exercise

Here’s a move that works wonders for the waist and side muscles. Ensure that your form is similar to these steps:

• Lie supine with a neutral spine.
• Position your arms by your sides.
• Raise your legs so your knees are above your hips with a right angle.
• In a controlled movement, swivel to your left, lowering the knees and hips.
• Engage your core and return to the center.
• Continue by alternating sides.

Tips: Avoid raising your shoulders or lifting your head. Breathe in when you lower your legs and exhale when you raise them.

Doorframe Extension Stretch

Working primarily on the chest and shoulders, it’s quite simple:

• Stand midway in an open doorway, feet apart at shoulder-width.
• Place your right forearm and hand flat against the doorframe side.
• Step forward with your right foot until you feel a stretch through the chest and shoulder front.
• Hold the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds and repeat on the left side.

Tip: Ensure your lower back does not arch.

Core Elevation Bridge

This posture targets the core and pelvic floor.

• Lie face down on the floor.
• Keep elbows beneath the shoulders and depress the shoulder girdle.
• As you breathe out, pull the stomach in and elevate your hips until they are just above shoulder height.
• Maintain this pose and continue with your breathing.

Tips: Try to avoid shrugging your shoulders and keep them drawn back and down to intensify your abdominal workout.

Upper Stretch Sequence

This move helps stretch the upper back, tummy, hip and chest area.

• Kneel on the floor.
• Reach forward with your hands and let your forehead rest on the floor.
• Bring your hands back beneath your shoulders.
• Adjust your hands forward slightly, lift your hips, position them on the floor, lift your chest and draw back your shoulders.
• Alternate between these two positions, hold for 20-30 seconds each.

Supine Glute Bridge

This move broadly involves the lower back, bottom, and rear thighs.

• Lay flat on your back with your arms by your sides.
• Bend your knees, maintain your feet flat on the ground.
• Propel your hips so they serve as the midpoint for a straight line between your knees and shoulders.
• Gradually straighten your right leg while keeping your knees together.
• Bring your right foot back and repeat on the left side.

Tips: Remember to breathe throughout the exercise. Also, ensure that your hips don’t drop when you lift your foot off the ground.

So ladies, let’s take a step towards enhancing our posture and in turn, embody a more confident version of ourselves. Remember, we stand tallest when we stand proud!

Posture improvement, fitness exercises, personal trainer Anne-Marie Lategan, Quadruple Somatic Core Clinch, Central Turbine Exercise, Doorframe Extension Stretch, Core Elevation Bridge, Upper Stretch Sequence, Supine Glute Bridge, fitness