Babies are adorable walking around in their little diapers, rear ends poking way out.  Fast forward 20 years and the rear end poking way out like that isn’t so cute anymore.  It’s also not comfortable or healthy, either. I’ve held myself that way for years.

Swayback. Lordosis. Got a big, ole butt.  Whatever you call it, it’s poor posture and it’s bad for your skeleton and for your look!

If my rear end was stuck out, my abdomen was, too (as a counter-weight).  The result was that my already large belly appeared even larger.  My hips and butt also appeared larger, but the connection wasn’t so obvious to me.  Try this: stand up and give yourself a sway back.  Poke your butt out one direction and your abdomen the other.  Feel what happens with your hips?  They roll out.

The ball and socket of the hip joint are not designed to fit snuggly when your back is swayed like that; so, the ball rolls out of the joint a little bit, widening the hips and rear.

Now, tuck your pelvis.  Try to push your rear end through to the front.  Feel what happens, then?  Your hip sockets fit together.

Look five pounds thinner instantly!

If you do those little demonstrations in front a mirror, you can actually watch as your hips flare.  Tuck your pelvis and you can see how much thinner they look.

I’ve been walking and standing sway backed for so long, my hips were seriously out of line.  It has taken conscious effort to tuck my pelvis when standing, walking, running, and even sitting.  When I’m standing where no one will see me and think I’ve dropped off the deep end, I do a very simple exercise tucking my pelvis and tightening all of the muscles, pretending they area belt pulling my hip joints back together.  Particularly right at first, I could almost feel the joints pop back into place.  I don’t feel as much movement now; but, I still do the exercises to keep the muscles strong and as a reminder, as much as anything else.

Strengthening my core muscles helps with this a great deal, as well.  Rather than tucking my pelvis by pushing it forward, those strong abs help pull it forward and hold everything in place.

Since I’ve concentrated on getting rid of this swayed back, my lower back rarely hurts anymore.  By moving the weight bearing back onto my hips and legs where it was always supposed to be, I’ve reduced the strain on the lower back muscles and bones that were functioning as they were never intended.  In addition, my hips feel better.  Again, they are functioning as they are designed to – amazing how that works!

We are all told to hold our shoulders back, stand erect.  No slumping. It is just as important to remind ourselves and our children to keep our pelvises in line.