Hey hey, Barrebabe,

stand tall

Believe it or not, there's compelling evidence that we can burn an extra 300 calories per day simply by implementing proper spinal alignment aka good posture. Your posture determines how you meet the world, influencing both how you feel about yourself and how you appear to others. Not just an upper body concern, your posture also influences your abs, pelvic floor and hip function, which means reduction of sciatic and low back pain, happy insides, and the famous flat belly. My posture - and abs - have both changed for the better since having Diego and digging deep into fixing my upper body after the demands of breastfeeding and early motherhood. Here's some do-anywhere tips to improve your mood & midsection:

chin tuck - the non-surgical kind, obvi. in fact, tuck might be too strong of a word - just gently drop your chin to lengthen the back of your neck. imagine if you had a heavy nose. try to do this when standing, sitting, or working out on all fours.

arm circles - keeping abs in, ribs down, chin slightly tucked, shoulder blades integrated into the back, inhale and lift straight arms up to by your ears, palms facing each other. then turn palms to face down as you exhale and press air down. repeat, standing tall and imagining the circle comes from your armpits, side boob zone, or rib cage tattoo. try it with light weights. stabilize your shoulder girdle to release clicks and tension and strengthen the underneath muscles which help lift your upper body up from your pelvis, requiring your core muscles to lengthen and strengthen.

stretch your pecs (and strengthen upper back muscles and lats) - when shoulders are stuck rounded forward, the pecs are chronically shortened and tightened. in addition, when the spine is in flexion, there's a lot of downward pressure going out into the abs as well as into the pelvic floor. when you're able to truly open the front of the body, you're able to truly access and change your ab muscles. try making "goal post" arms laying on a foam roller or pressed up against a doorway.

I love to hear from you, so if you have questions, or have already implemented the tips above and feel some kinda way about , let me know!

Love and planks,

Annie