Tag Archives: habit

Day 70: Good posture is hot

Day 70 - front

  • Weight: 132.4 lbs.
  • Workout A: 17 minutes, 7 seconds; next: Workout B on Nov. 15
  • Total inches: 121.8
  • Protein: 128 g (2 g over target)
  • Calories: 2,034

The 75 minutes of exercise had a number of important effects on Fleur’s physique that went beyond fat loss and ass building.

Most important, it fixed her kyphosis (from the Greek kyphos, meaning “hump”), a postural problem common to millions of computer users. From desk work and muscular imbalance, she had a shoulders-forward, concave-chest slouch before beginning the program. Five weeks later, she stood and walked with shoulders back, which created the perception of both a smaller rib cage and larger breasts.

Good posture is hot.

— page 167, “The 4-Hour Body” [Amazon |iTunes aff. links]

Those last four words have somehow stuck in my brain during the past 2-plus months.

So much of my time is spent in front of my laptop and at desk jobs over the years that slouching is part of my natural state. Once I realized that my posture was terrible, I kept sitting up straight.

I catch myself often in slouch position when working, and I immediately correct it, almost subconsciously.

My friend Biff, who hadn’t seen me in months, noticed it Saturday. I stand taller. Certainly, I hadn’t practiced on my feet, but I think it’s my small way of pushing myself to be a little better.

This harmonizes well with my overall determination to be more “in the moment,” to be aware of my environment, my breathing and my body. I have always been easily lost in my work or with distractions, but to live purposefully means to practice focus on the now.

No point in building up my upper body if no one can see it when I’m scrunched up. Chest out, head up.

Day 70 - side

Day 19: The new routine

Day 19

  • Weight: 125.2 lbs.
  • Workout B: 18 minutes, 0 seconds
  • Total inches: 118.2
  • Protein: 193 g (75 g over target)
  • Calories: 2,410

Modern folklore says it takes 3 weeks to make a new habit.

My new habits include …

  • hitting the scale each morning, then rushing to the computer to type it in before I forget the readout;
  • drinking a lot more milk, mostly in protein shake form;
  • taking half-naked photos of myself;
  • psyching myself up before workouts (never did that before doing treadmill);
  • measuring my body parts;
  • evaluating each portion of food for calorie and protein content;
  • planning my eating so I hit my daily goals, rather the much simpler hunger-based pattern;
  • fretting about the numbers;
  • thinking ahead to the next workout day;
  • buying a lot more bananas, milk, chicken and potatoes;
  • and learning to enjoy the weird routine.

The success of implementing the habits came from good preparation, small steps and changes and daily reinforcement through charting and blogging. Had I not done all of these things, I believe I would not be in the swing of the routine.

Here’s to finding new ways to live and grow.