5 Postural Cues for Body Alignment and Balance

One of the main reasons to exercise is for functionality, and the goal should be for efficiency. Efficiency is gained through the correct movement pattern of the body, from correct muscle activation and joint range of movement to joint alignment and the balance between the left and right side of the body. 

 The following 5 postural cues can help with the initial set up of the body before, during and after exercise. This awareness is both visual and physical. If you or a client has an imbalance issue, first you must "see" what is wrong before you can correct and "feel" how it should be. This is and should always be the reason to train in front of a mirror, not for the ego or admiring oneself. The below points are initially for a normal standing position but can be adjusted if seated. So whether you're a personal trainer assessing a clients posture or movement patterns during an exercise or you're an individual who has your own exercise routine, these cues can be used as a basic guide for awareness and a step closer towards self correction.

 1. Feet and Ankle Position - position feet hip to shoulder width apart with toes facing forward and the insteps parallel. This will train and ensure an even weight and impact distribution for the foot and ankle joint. The initial set up of the soles of the feet is most important as it is the foundation for any mechanical action to follow. Whether the toes face forward (ideally) or slightly angled out, there should be a focus on a balanced ankle joint, neither rolling outward or inward but centered in the middle.

2. Knee Position - position the knees (knee caps) to follow the line of your 2nd and 3rd toes with a slight bend at the knee joint. This will train and ensure a smooth tracking line for your knee cap which decreases pressure at the knee joint. The slight bend engages muscles around your hip and legs which in turn decreases pressure which could be potentially felt around the lower back region.

3. Hip Position - a slight pelvic tilt back or "tuck under". This neutral position will open up the lower back/lumbar vertebrae which relieves pain or discomfort and in time trains the subconscious activation of your abdominal muscles (core). If this hip action of "tucking under" is exaggerated, you may feel a slight stretch in your hip flexor muscles (in a standing position), which become tight due to having a sedentary work-lifestyle.

4. Shoulder Position - pull your shoulders back and then squeeze down. This will activate your thoracic muscles (upper back) and stretch your chest and front of your shoulders, which tend to be very tight on a daily basis due to work posture or even low confidence levels, also seen as "slouching forward". Try to imagine stretching a rubber band from one shoulder, running across your collar bone down to the other shoulder.

5. Head Position - drawing the base of your head back towards your spine with a slight chin tuck. This keeps the cervical spine in a more neutral position decreasing strain and tension around the neck and shoulders. It can help to imagine a string pulling upward from the top of your head or drawing your head backwards to purposely create a "double chin" whilst keeping the face at a neutral level.

The Wall Set Up Exercise (image above): The following exercise will most definitely feel very strange and unnatural once you complete the position but it will allow you to be aware and notice how out of whack your body is. Find a wall and stand up against it following the postural cues above. The points of contact from your body to the wall should be the back of your heels, the top of your tailbone, both outer edges of your shoulder blades and the back of your head with the face at a neutral level facing forward. The second part of this exercise is to then hold this overall position and slowly step away from the wall and begin to walk around whilst keeping this posture. This will be an awkwardly funny exercise to do, enjoy.

The above wall set up exercise will have its limits when it comes to the points of contact against the wall due to individuals which may have a larger than average buttocks or "duck bum", an excessive "hunch back" and excessive "poke neck". Just keep in mind that this is all to create self awareness, so that you know what could be potentially out of alignment or balance, and what you need to work on to hopefully fix it.

 Apply these cues as much as you can on a daily basis (consistency) to improve your overall body alignment and balance. Like anything which needs correction, being conscious and aware of the issue is the only way to go. So good luck, take your time with it and enjoy your more functional and efficient body.