Even though postural concerns are commonly overlooked, if I were to give my clients only one thing to focus on, it would be their posture. It is the point of departure for most of the work I do with clients. If we think of the spine as a radio tower and the muscles the guy wires holding it in place, when we stand, we should have an invisible plumb line that runs from our ears to our shoulders, to our hips, and down to our ankles. Unfortunately, the positions in which we hold our bodies on a daily basis are anything but upright.
While working, we sit at a desk  arms reaching forward towards the computer with our pelvis typically tucked under, head and neck extending forward. 
While driving, we sit in our cars with our arms in front of us steering, head forward, neck craned, shoulders rounded and pelvis tucked under.  We sit in meetings with our heads forward and our necks craned, shoulders rounded, leaning against the table. While texting, we hunch over with our arms in front of us, rounding our shoulders, eyes facing down, head and neck tilted forward and down.
What happens over time is we freeze into position. The muscles in the front of our bodies become shorter and stronger, while the muscles in back become longer and weaker, as gravity pulls us gradually downward.  The positions in which we find ourselves contribute to weak lower abdominal muscles, which then lead to improper hip balance—thrusting forward or backwards and destabilizing the body. Combined with gravity, the result can lead to a myriad problems—painful ones. There is incontrovertible evidence that poor posture leads to lower back pain, shoulder pain, headaches, neck strain, poor balance and even poor breathing. 
This used to be a typical problem for the middle-aged and older populations, but now it is an all-too-common problem for children who are not taught to stand up straight, sit up straight or be active. Instead, our youth are allowed to become couch potatoes—leading to problems earlier in life. The over-use of desks, computers and smart phones contributes greatly to accelerating and locking in bad postural habits and position.
The remedy? Get into an active program that will return you to the center of your body – energizing the core of your core, and your core in general. Additionally, this should include a program that strengthens the muscles in your upper back and shoulders and one that stretches the pectoral muscles and shoulders in the front of your body. Another area that is critical to focus on when it comes to posture improvement is strengthening the lower abdominal muscles responsible for hip posture. Lower abdominal strength and stability is key to good hip posture and to lessening the weight that is being carried by your lower back. 
Forward Head Posture is the easiest to identify and is a huge contributor to poor posture. To start, practice keeping your ears over your shoulders. 
Another great place to start is creating awareness and practicing postural alignment and stability. Utilize YOGA, Pilates, Physical Therapy, and sound training habits to focus on body position. Even more so, consult and use the expertise of a trainer for several sessions to help you get into the habit of moving and holding your body in a healthy way in order to remain functionally strong and to further keep your body stable and mobile.
