Roxanne Delgado, Author at The Happy Factory

Have you read Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life? If you haven’t, it’s worth a read (or two, yes… it’s that good).

A few weeks ago I was discussing it with one of my clients, specifically the first chapter titled ‘Stand up straight with your shoulders back.’

My client is a business executive who oversees a team. He expressed his frustration with wanting to follow the author’s advice because as much as he tried to maintain good posture through the day, he was unable to do so.

You see, good posture is essential for him given his leadership role. It is a critical part of non-verbal communication and it also has a positive mental & physical impact on the subject and the people around them.

Consider this excerpt from an article titled ‘Power Posing‘ published on Psychological Science.

“Humans and other animals express power through open, expansive postures, and they express powerlessness through closed, contractive postures… In short, posing in displays of power caused advantaged and adaptive psychological, physiological, and behavioral changes, and these findings suggest that embodiment extends beyond mere thinking and feeling, to physiology and subsequent behavioral choices.”

Amazing, right? There’s an added benefit to the power boost that you get from good posture, which is that it makes you more attractive. That’s right!

In a speed dating test, scientists found that people tend to be more attracted to individuals who display their bodies expansively. As Dr. Tanya Vacharkulksemsuk, a professor at University of California at Berkeley, and the corresponding author of the study explained:

“Given these very short scenarios, humans are more likely to rely on their instincts to make judgments; based on our research, it appears that humans are likely perceiving social dominance and openness through body postures and using that information to say ‘yes’.”

I explained to my client that failing to sustain proper posture is a common problem for people who have been working desk jobs for a while. It’s not laziness, a lack of commitment or a character flaw, it’s just a byproduct of the type of work that he does. Simply put, his muscles had become too weak and stiff to hold a straight position for any long period of time.

If you’ve had the same issue, please take this advice to heart; in order to maintain good posture, first you have to be intentional about training and stretching the right muscles. There is some posture correction work necessary. Eventually, you will have the strength and the flexibility to “stand up straight with your shoulders back.”

Allow me to unpack this a bit more…

Posture is the way your muscles and bones hold your body erect. The prolonged position of your body will influence the type of posture you will have. You know you have ideal posture when you meet the following:

Standing Posture:

— Your chest is open and broad

— Your weight is centered over your feet

— Your chin is parallel to the floor

— Your head rests over your shoulders

— The top of your shoulders are stacked over your hips

— You maintain a neutral spine

Sitting Posture:

— Your chin is parallel to the floor

— Your shoulders, hips and knees are at even heights

— Your knees and toes are pointing forward

— You maintain a neutral spine

When your body is unable to position itself in an ideal posture position, it will begin to compensate. This prolonged compensation eventually reprograms your healthy posture. It also creates another set of issues, including: affecting your breathing patterns, muscle growth, balance, overuse disorders, and increasing muscle strain. In short, not good.

Now, improving posture varies from person to person.

There are no shortcuts and no one-solution-fits-all. Remember that you’ve unintentionally programmed your body to have poor posture, so you are going to have to work for it — preferably with a trained coach who can properly asses your posture and develop a specific plan for your individual needs — in order to condition your body and reprogram your posture.

At the Happy Factory, we take pride in the 3 P’s system: Posture, Performance, and Physique. If you can demonstrate proper posture, during the performance, along with proper nutrition, you will have a healthy and strong looking physique.

Working on improving your posture is the type of investment that will yield you benefits for a lifetime. Come in for a consultation, we look forward to meeting and working with you! Let us help you get to a point where you can stand up straight with your shoulders back.

So, you found your new workout plan, went grocery shopping to start your new meal plan on Monday… even planned a time for meal prep — LOOK AT YOU GO!

And while, yes, that’s fantastic and absolutely necessary, there’s one HUGE step you’re missing to TRULY make your fitness journey successful. And the truth is, without it, the route to your goals will be a lot more challenging than it has to be.

Can you guess what the MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR for your fitness journey is?

YOUR MINDSET.

Yup. Before you flex those quads and biceps you’ll have to flex that mental muscle to work in your favor. So, how can you make that mental change? Below are four steps to get your MIND right so you can get your body right and achieve your goals.

1. Define your best WHY.

Starting your fitness journey is easy, but seeing it to the end is where most people fail. You will want to give up. Inevitably you will have a bad day, you will take two steps forward and three steps back.

First of all, experiencing setbacks is completely normal, you are making a life-change after all. Secondly, it is not a reason to give up, it just means you need to have an even STRONGER WHY than your desire to give up.

Make sure you take the time to focus on why you are wanting this change in your life. Here are some questions to get you started:

— WHY is it important for you to get reach your fitness goal?
— What pain will you endure in the future if you don’t change your fitness routine?
— How amazing would you feel if you actually reached your goal?

Write these out in as much detail as possible and make it a habit to read these every day.

2. Accept where you are.

This is a critical step and may very well be the hardest. Acceptance requires you to take responsibility for your current circumstances, and understand that you didn’t get to where you are overnight.

Acceptance doesn’t come from a place of self-criticism or judgment. It’s simply about coming to terms with your reality and it’s a great way to let go of any victim mentality that might be keeping you from changing. Today, in fact right now, accept that you are in this situation because of your decisions, and commit to making a change for the better.

3. Fitness is a journey, not a destination.

It would be magical if we could snap our fingers and have your ideal body, career, and life? But that’s not the way things work in life. Good things take time, sacrifice, and effort.

Don’t set — or fall for — unrealistic goals, regardless of how attractive they may seem at first. Changing your body the right way will take time. Building healthier habits will take time. Cultivating a community of like-minded people will take time.

Researchers from University College London found that on average it takes 66 days to develop a new habit. And as such, you cannot expect a whole life and habit overhaul overnight. Focus on changing ONE thing at a time, because remember fitness is a JOURNEY, not a destination.

Most people try to rush through their fitness journey because they see it as a ‘sacrifice.’ They train the wrong way, take on painful diets, and eventually fail. Those are problems for people that have never been taught the right way to train, eat and self-care. Let us show you a better way.

Remember that anyone selling you a shortcut on the way to your fitness goal is basically making money off your failure. Play the long game, it’s the only one worth playing. Can you think of anything more valuable than investing in your wellbeing?

4. Find your tribe.

While things like affirmation and self-talk are extremely important, the truth is you need a tribe for those days when that just is not enough. There will be days when you are not motivated, don’t want to hit the gym, and instead just want to hit up the drive-thru. On those days when even your ‘why’ is not enough, your tribe can lift you up, remind you of your strength, and you can borrow their belief in you until you start to believe in yourself again.

The best part about developing a strong mind is that it won’t only help you change your body, it has the potential to help you change your whole life.

In his book, Warrior Mindset, Michael J. Asken asks you to imagine that “instead of getting tired or bogged down, instead of being distracted and tempted…drive forward with an unstoppable, bulletproof mentality… Developing that warrior’s mindset is like a workout for your mind, your philosophy and your soul.” Now just imagine what you could achieve with that type of mindset?

We are here for you.

At the Happy Factory, we pride ourselves in providing you with the right support, a realistic plan, and people who inspire you to strive for more.

We thrive on building community, fostering camaraderie and achieving goals in life. As a member, you’ll meet every trainer, connect with fellow members, and participate in signature activities inside and outside of the gym.

Come and join us, your first class is always on us!

Author: Roxanne Delgado

Stand up straight with your shoulders back… once you are ready.