Competitor Blog: Practice Posture

When I first starting posing I would get scolded for looking down. Sand, my posing coach, would ask me what I was looking for on the ground. When you walk on stage you want to have your head up and look the judges right in the eye with a look that says “this is my stage and I am the best thing on it”. You can’t do that with a rounded shoulders and eyes averted.

Over time, I think a lot of women learn this unconscious habit of casting their eyes downwards and slumping forward. It’s as simple as avoiding dealing with other human beings or appearing “too inviting”. If you don’t make eye contact you don’t give another person a chance to try to grab your attention and interact with you. Slumped over you try to make yourself look less noticeable and unassuming. A lot of people will accuse you of “sticking your boobs out” simply from having your shoulders back. If you have ever had to fend off a person’s unwanted and over-zealous attempts at wooing, you totally understand. If you have yet to experience this yet in life, I envy you. 

I also would be scolded for walking like a lumberjack. I can’t help it! I have places to go and no time for a sassy little sashay. But when you step on the stage that is EXACTLY what they want. You can’t stomp out to your spot on the stage, rigidly do your turns and stomp off. Well, you can but it won’t place you very well.

I practice my “girl walk” up and down the straight stretch of hall at my work. It’s relatively low traveled and it’s nice and long. Here I practice how the “girl walk” feels and try very hard not to overthink it. It’s a gentle sway, almost drop of the hip. It is a weird thing to try and explain and I imagine everyone feels it a little different. Once you start focusing too hard on the walk you will lose it.

So I started to make the effort to improve my posture and exude self confidence. Throughout the day I try to correct my posture. I do stretches to help loosen up the front muscles that have been shortened from years of crap posture. I do exercises to fire the back muscles that help pull the shoulders back. When I walk down the street I send mental feelers out to my body; are my shoulders back and posture decent? Do I have my head up? When I am at the gym walking through the floor I give myself a little pep talk “Are they looking at you? Damn right they are looking at you! You own this place. You are the winner of this day and you keep that tiara up high!” It sounds ridiculous but it does really help get you in the brain space you want to be in when you step on stage.

By working in these little bits into my day I am practicing portions of my posing. It is important that you practice posing until it is automatic. That way if your brain tries to freeze come show time your muscle memory will show you the way. If you are not practicing for a show practice for life. Fix that posture!

How bad does it have to hurt?

Why do you work out?  No, seriously.  What does it take for you?  Let me share my story as to how I found my way to a personal trainer.  I have always been a little bit fat, I guess I kind'ove liked it that way.  It gave me something to obsess about. I was uncomfortable, but acclimated to my body.  


Until the day everything changed "little" old, 220 lbs of me is driving down Coburg road when I am side swiped by an SUV.  I went through months and months of rehab for my spinal cord injury.  My legs were constantly numb, the pain was unbearable.  Four months of laying around crying, eating only Vicodin for the physical pain and sugar for the emotional pain.  It never once occurred to me that my physical state was a catalyst to the severity of my injuries. 

My injuries were not fatal, but I would have rather they been.  I had fully lost my body.  I lost my ability to walk without hand rails, I had lost control over my hormones, my metabolism, my ability to use the bathroom without help.  I was no longer capable of truly being a wife, a mother, I had fully lost myself.  

So, I got up and ran.  I cried through the whole mile, which mostly consisted of limping.  I'm sure the neighbors thought I was practicing some sort of swag flow, but that was just how I walked.  I felt like I would rather die trying to get better, than die everyday waiting for the doctors to fix me.  I wanted someone to fix me.  The doctor, the food, the Vicodin.  

One day I just woke up and realized I didn't want to live like this.

Now I understand that maybe it might not seem as severe for you from the outside.  Maybe you can walk.  Maybe you are barely overweight or just a little bit soft, but we don't start searching out help because things are okay.  I wasn't okay.  Something inside me knew, that I had to regain my power.  Seeing a trainer is more than having abs.  A trainer is about making a commitment to saving yourself.  Sometimes you have to let go and follow someone in order to regain your control.  I need someone to guide me, not someone to fix me.    

We are all scared to come in for the first time, but it is worth it.  My accident was a few years ago now.  The doctors told me they couldn't help me, but Mike was optimistically excited to help me. We assessed my weaknesses, and started building from there.  There would be well known body builders squatting a semi truck next to me and it didn't matter, because I was proud of myself.  Today I can hike, run, squat with minimal resistance. Losing 50 lbs, feels like a bonus.  The most important part of my journey is when my family says "I love who you are when you are going to the gym"

If you are lost or in pain, physically or emotionally the first thing I suggest to everyone is a trainer.  Are you ready to change?  Are you done suffering?  I was.

I regained my backbone with fitness- both literally and figuratively.