This client had been self-conscious about her ‘hunched’ posture for over 30 years!

She didn’t like her reflection in the mirror or in shop windows. She also avoided wearing certain kinds of clothing because of how she looked.

When I checked her posture, I saw that her upper back, head, and shoulders were rounding forward.

But that wasn’t the whole story.

What else do you notice in her posture?

Can you see how her hip is leaning forward from her ankle? This is making her upper body ‘hunch’ forward.

To change the area she doesn’t like (her upper body), we should also focus on her hips. This will give better results.

Working on the hips when someone wants to change their upper body may seem strange. But, in my experience, to tackle the root cause of the posture problem you have to look at how the whole body works.

Generic exercises are not good enough. I showed her several posture correction exercises, that I chose specifically for her.

I picked ones that matched her strength levels, and that she could do at home without any equipment. I also made them short enough so she could fit them into her daily life.

We saw each other about 10 times in total. At first, we met weekly, but later we spaced out our sessions. During these follow-up sessions, I made sure she did the exercises correctly. I also gave her more advanced exercises as we went along.

You can see her progress in the photos below.

This improvement is not because she is trying to stand taller. That’s not what having good posture is about. Instead, her muscles keep her body more aligned because of the exercises she did.

This not only makes her look better, but also helps her move, breathe, feel and age better!

It’s not perfect (nobody is) but it was enough to change how she felt about her body after 30 years.

In her own words “I feel straighter, taller and much more confident in myself – and happier too.”

Clients who have had posture problems for a long time often ask if things can get better. Her example is a lovely demonstration that they can.