Breathing and Whole Woman Posture

Hi natural only,
Whole woman walking is where I learned to hold posture the best, because during the duration I could easily critique and adjust as I went. Keep in mind those basics until you find during the walk it feels more natural to you. By lifting the chest, keeping the shoulders down, and that belly relaxed you start to notice that it is much easier to breath because the diaphragm isn't all squished by slouching.
As far as diets go, you should be eating foods that nourishes you. Cutting out sugar and processed food is a good start.

The suck-and-tuck posture that so many of us had to un-learn, causes natural breathing to reverse itself. You may still be trying to breathe by expanding the chest. Concentrate on belly breathing. For me, the belly breathing came naturally after the belly learned to relax; but for others, the breathing correction was actually the harder part. Keep working at it! - Surviving

Be careful of diet fads. Paleo is the the big thing right now, but I don't believe, like so many others, it will last or is necessarily really all that good for you in the long run. Yes, add plenty of fresh fruit and veg, but an excess of meat even if it is lean, can be hard for the body to digest efficiently.
The closest diet, if you want to go on one, is the medetaranean, which offers very healthy choices in moderation with plenty of exercise. Check out the medetaranean diet pyramid by googling it. It shows exercise and activity at the very bottom, and very little meat at the top.
Interesting stuff!

Dear All,
I have experimented with diets over the years, & this is my experience/conclusion.
Since teen years I had been on the slim/flat stomach quest, mostly dieting rather than exercising, believing that it would fit public perception of acceptance, and be a foundation for a successful happy life.

I have been a GIRLS size when I was 44 after going on a very strict low GI diet which is very close to paleo, (though I could have some carbs ) It is a scrawny look on a woman this age.
I had been doing some floor exercises - tuck & suck & push - ups so did have some muscle definition, but the hips were dislocating at times, & I could not sleep on my side for hip pain, & had pain when lying on my back also.
I had regular insomnia, I had lost most of my body fat so very little curve, lost some hair density & my weight was not constant, so I was always watching it. I did do this diet initially because I believed in the cholesterol myth, but people thought I had lost the weight because I was ill. The weight crept back on over the next 2 years.

After nearly 2 yrs with Whole Woman - here are my findings regarding weight/ diet / health.
I have being doing Christine's exercise DVDs daily as much a possible with the Hips DVD as first priority & learning the First Wheel. ( in the last 3 weeks I have added 1 kilo weights for the arm exercises, 2 kilo weights to do an exercise for the muscles at the back of the upper arm ( called shaving the back of the head lol ) & in the last 2 sessions have added 1 kilo ankle weights for the side leg lifts on the floor as my right hip can handle it now - this is Hips DVD) I take the exercises very slowly & less, slow repetitions of the weights.
From starting the exercises, the last few weeks, I have weighed myself regularly & my weight has not changed.

HOWEVER I have the best strength, an almost healed hip, my body has shaped itself with equal symmetry - an even waistline. I am significantly slimmer. My body has a firmness that I have never experienced before. I would never wish to be as thin again as it wasn't sustainable, necessary, or healthy.There are many other benefits to WW, however I will stick to the topic under discussion...

AND I eat carbs - whole - grain when I can - or my digestive system shuts down - really bad for rectocele!! I have also added root vegetables & much more variety than before. The only thing I restrict is the amount of milk I have, & sugary foods, and I eat butter, & other good fats, avocados, soft cheeses etc. I have prunes with oat porridge & a magnesium supplement - this all helps to manage rectocele.

Christine's exercises are the best & most effective I have come across & I have tried many styles/ types. I am not worn out after doing them - they are calming, & spiritual - & they are also a deep muscle workout - don't get me wrong - they are challenging, though I have been able to do them consistently.

How I live now is from the foundation of Whole Woman Posture & exercise - just the posture & walking had significant benefits for me for the first 18 months.

I don't believe the body copes well with the stress of any strenuous exercise & the comparison/ competition with others to exhaustion & injury. I recall a lady saying that she felt better & had lost more weight by walking in nature ...

I will not weigh myself regularly again as I have found it is not a healthy/ accurate gauge as to body strength & health. Muscle weighs more than fat, and we need cholesterol to make hormones.

As to Paleo, I believe that our ancestors worked very hard for any quantity of food they ate & in between eating raw animal kills, which would not have been that regular,they ate insects, roots & berries. Try doing that!!!

I will not worry if I eat outside my own guidelines occasionally, it as I think worry does more damage to the body, (I do enjoy 1 piece of dark 85% cocoa chocolate a day ).
I hope this helps someone in their journey,
Best Wishes,
Aussie Soul Sister

Great post, Aussie Soul Sister!
I agree so much with what you have written. I too used to be bent on weight loss at all cost, taking on many different diets over the years. I did south beach, which is very similar to the modern paleo diet, for 3 years, lost weight, but always felt hungry and unsatisfied. I don't think these diets work, because the body isn't being nourished completely as it should be. High meat diets create ketosis in the body, eating away fat and muscle. You can't "live" this way indefinitely.
On my personal journey, I have recently cut out dairy, because I know it has been a problem for me. I just wouldn't admit it to myself-- loved cheese so much. It is amazing how much better I feel in my whole body. I also started adding fermented foods which have really given my digestive tract a boost.

I agree also so much about the strengthening of Christine's exercises. I do them just about every day, and they help me accomplish everything else I do day to day in whole woman posture.

Just wanted to say how much I appreciate your words!! And, yes, dark chocolate good!!!

Hi Dear Aging Gracefully,
Thankyou for your kind words!! I so treasure your presence & contribution!!
I have tried the fermented foods & found the sauerkraut very good. Do you think it would retain its properties if frozen, as the 1 kilo jars were to be eaten within 2 wks which is way too much for me to eat ( DH was losing taste for it). Just a little on a sandwich or with dinner was nice & I noticed a calmer digestive system too - I don't want to make it - it is reasonably priced anyway.
Best wishes,
Aussie Soul Sister

Dear Natural only,
I think I experienced a bit of difficulty with tension/breathing recently when I realized that I wasn't lifting my chest high enough, but you will see in one of my recent posts that I too hadn't relaxed my belly enough. Make sure your shoulders are down & relaxed, upper back flat, chin slightly tucked & back of head lifted, with chest strongly lifted, lower belly relaxed & then relax as much as you can, with your feel grounded well with weight distributed evenly on them. ( I think of myself as having lovely, sturdy hobbit feet, without the hair lol).
Practice breathing with the belly - I have adopted much slower breathing which is relaxing, & I find also I am much calmer & not as hungry or desperate to eat as I had been... & not gulping air through my mouth at times... I also slow down any speech by breathing through my nose between phrases - a skill in progress.... I also don't wear restrictive trousers/jeans any more.
Christine's DVDs have lengthening, strengthening exercises for the stomach muscles, and underlying fascia - mine are becoming long & stronger every day. Walking & belly breathing will help also.

I remember once trying to do some exercises on a DVD. I was told to hold my stomach in, tuck in bottom & hold tension in my whole body - & then do the exercises... I couldn't breath, I couldn't do the exercises with such tension so that DVD was discarded that day it was so ridiculous... a blessing in disguise...lol
Best wishes,
Aussie Soul Sister

Thanks to natural for starting this post.

I also sometimes find breathing less comfortable when I think I'm in WW posture. When this happens (often it's when I start to meditate) I concentrate on lengthening the back of my neck and let the rest of my body do what it will. It seems to try and correct itself. Sometimes the belly comes back in a little without force and then everything feels better.

I've noticed when I have the belly a little too pushed out, breathing is not so comfortable. Relaxed, or pushed out - it can be a fine line for me.

I have very prominant shoulder blades and very little body fat in general - me having my upper back flat only happens if my shoulders are waaaay waaaay waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back. So I tend to ignore that instruction because my particular build is never going to have a flat broad back (unless I slice my shoulder blades off!!!)

Kiko, I totally understand what you are saying re: your interpretation of posture, but just wanted to point out a couple of things for the benefit of inexperienced members reading this thread. I don't think it is ever necessary to "push" the belly out, and I can see where that might interfere with proper breathing, if the relaxed belly is not allowed to expand and contract on its own. Also i think that upper back "flat and broad" is just another way of thinking about NOT pulling the shoulders back. I can't say I ever looked at my back while in posture to see if it looked flat or not. I just know to keep my shoulders down but not to pull them back. - Surviving

Really, really good points, surviving. Upper back "broad and flat" was a problem for me at one time, but I would watch Christine in the videos, best posture anywhere by the way! I noticed that I was doing it wrong, because I developed a pinched feeling in the middle of my back, and it really hurt. So, after that, it was a constant for me to have shoulders down.
I certainly understand different body types looking differently. I myself have the slightest lady hump at the bottom of my neck that just doesn't go away. Too many years of slouching, I suppose. But, for the rest, I think I look pretty much like the ladies in the videos and it all feels really good!

Hi Aussie Soul Sister,
You brought up a really good question about freezing fermented foods. I had to look that up, actually. I did find one source that said it was fine to freeze it for up to a year, as long as it was vacuum packed. I really don't know the answer, myself.
On another note, I have been making fermented drinks that are really easy to make. First I was making fermented beet kvass which was good, but then Christine mentioned rejuvelca a fermented grain tonic, on a thread here recently. I have tried that one, and just love it!
Best wishes!!

After posting my comment I decided to actually look at my upper back, to see if "flat and broad" was compromised if I were to pull the shoulders back. I guess I'm a little fleshy in that area because I didn't actually see a huge difference. So my point remains the same......that phrase is designed to be a visual to help us remember NOT to pull shoulders back. - Surviving

Dear Aging Gracefully,
Thanks for doing the googling - which is what I should have done - sorry!!
I think I will work out roughly how much sauerkraut I will eat & freeze 1/2 jar - the last jar I bought seemed off when I opened it so I'm a bit conservative in my approach to this. Thank you for reminding me about the fermented drinks. I like the idea of sprouted grains also.
About dairy - in the last few months, I much prefer the softer cheeses ( pregnant ladies do not eat), than the harder tasty cheese.
Best wishes,
Aussie Soul Sister

My daughter swears by the raw milk cheese. She says it is much better for our system than pasteurized. There seems to be a lot of controversy on this subject, but I have seen raw milk cheese in the grocery store where I live.
For me right now I am am just going to stay away from the dairy, because I have been feeling better without it.
I so appreciate this discussion with you! Love talking about healthy alternatives!