10 SIMPLE WAYS TO BE POSTURE PERFECT AND AVOID SLOUCHING INTO 50

All indications prove that as we age there is more of a likelihood we will one day look into our vanity mirror and notice that ungodly sight. You know the one; the OMG I am my grandmother. How did it happen? And, when? OMG how many people have seen me and never said? Oh, I now hate every single friend, co-worker and family member I have!

Life is over it is just over. I'll just call the assisted living places right now because that is it for me. I am done! There is no point denying it. I am not just aging. I am now old.

Calm down you aren't old. Plenty of us slouched in our teens. Take three deep slow calming breaths and recall the countless slouching teenagers you've encountered on your path to fifty.

That's right you can smile again. Put the phone down you aren't ready to order the wheelchair, or walker just yet. You still have a wonderful, beautiful, fantastic life ahead of you!

And, no you don't need anxiety pills because of the panic attack you just had. You are 100% like the average aging female who has not yet discovered that fifty is fun.

As we age we naturally peer into the mirror a little longer looking for those unmistakable signs we are old. Chances are the more we look the more we will find. Smile, see there you are!

However, we can avoid those slouching, rounding shoulders of age and we should. As we age our bones begin to lose their strength and vitality. Yet, they don't have to. If you are like so many of us who were so busy raising our children and our husbands that we had little time for ourselves fifty is the perfect age to make time.

So, here are ten easy, proven ways to strengthen your shoulders and spine in no time!

1. None of us have time to walk we just don't. Yes, we do. Instead of stopping for the mail at the end of the driveway in your idling car. Get out of that hunk of metal walk to the mailbox and back again. Keep doing it. You will I am certain find it so invigorating you will want to do more of it!

2. So, do more of it. Walk the dog. If you don't have one borrow one, or get one. They are awesome companions! Instead of telling one of the kids to walk the dog do it yourself. It is a great, great, great excuse for some quiet time for yourself, Go ahead walk a little farther. Hey, they will all be glad you did it and they didn't have to. It's a little known secret the dog walker gets to escape the family chaos whenever they feel like it. It is one of the household secrets, make it your's. Walk the dog anytime you would like to escape your teenage daughter's dramas. By the time you get back she will have forgotten them, anyway.

3. Most homes have short hallways to the bathroom does your's? On your way in, or out take a minute and do five push-ups against the wall. This will help not only your spine but your shoulder blades and make sure you never get that god awful hanging skin underneath your arms. It is that simple.

4. Twenty minutes, twenty tiny minutes could mean the difference of a slouched slide into fifty or an absolute horrible ride down to your knees. We all know that bad posture causes back pain, don't we? I hope so. Don't worry you don't have to run a hundred miles on a treadmill, or balance on some ridiculous oversized ball that is advertised on the television. You just need to go outside. That's it I promise it is all you have to do. And, you can even sit out there and do absolutely nothing. It is true! Scientific studies show just twenty minutes a day in the sunshine gives our bodies the daily recommended vitamin D we need to combat loss of bone strength.

5. Okay, so you want more of a challenge than lying on the hammock for twenty minutes. You are fifty you are still ready to move! Well, stop. Stop at the mall and buy a meditation tape. Believe it or not it isn't easy sitting with your back perfectly straight for twenty minutes, or for some, five minutes. It takes effort. The majority of us slouch because we breathe incorrectly. Meditation teaches us how to breathe the proper way which strengthens our spine and revitalizes our organs. Try it without the tape. It isn't as easy as it appears. That is why so many teens slouch. It takes effort to sit up straight if you have a weak spine. Meditation can change that and if you settle it into your weekly routine you will see a remarkable difference in your posture. And, if you have back pain you won't have as much after meditating. Not a spiritual kinda gal? Prop up a novel and read it for twenty minutes. Do a chapter every other day and read yourself into an awesome posture! Yes, good posture erases that pesky belly fat, too. It is all in the breathing. So, start breathing correctly.

6. You know those girdles our grandmothers had shoved into the back of their dresser drawers?. Remember laughing? Well, turns out grandma was no dumby! Look back at the pictures of grandma. Her posture wasn't all that bad was it? The names have changed the styles and colors have changed but the back brace is really nothing more than the modern day girdle. It is true! That girdle of grandma's not only made her look slim it also helped her reinforce her spine which gave her good posture. Don't want a girdle? Whatever your size get a back brace you won't be sorry. You will have the best posture in the house! Yes, it lasts all throughout the day even without the girdle.

7. Pill poppin' was never for you? However, turning fifty it really has to be part of your daily recommended diet. Scientific studies show that taking a daily multivitamin designed specifically for females will strengthen your bones increase your vitality and ward off those pesky conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease. Do not ever think it is too late to start. It is never too late to start anything. So, don't think well I didn't take it in my forties and I survived. Or, I didn't take it in my forties so the damage is already done. Untrue, start now start today!

8. If you are like me you may suddenly be thinking to yourself what if I fall, what if I slip on the ice will that be the end of me? To ensure you keep your coordination and balance not to mention grace start Yoga. Yoga strengthens your spine strengthens your muscles and helps maintain your balance and coordination. Fifty is a great decade to put Yoga into your routine. You don't have to run a marathon to stay fit. There is chair yoga and programs like Tai Chi as well. And, in case you have forgotten your ballerina classes balance is the key to gracefulness. We didn't walk with our toes pointed out and our geometry text books atop our heads just to hear the laughter from our brothers. We wanted to be graceful and elegant. And, we still can. Just do Yoga don't put your son's geometry text on your head it may seem unmom like! Do Yoga for the same effect. Besides it is very "in" these days.

9. Want a healthy spine? Go shopping! Window shopping at the mall is a great way to improve posture. It is true. Everyone knows that the serious mall shopper has the best posture in town. So, shop so you DON"T DROP. And, get the best sales, too.

10. I saved my favorite for last yes the dreaded diet "change." Foods high in calcium, vitamin D, omega oil and magnesium are all bone strengtheners. Let's face it we have lectured for decades to our sons and daughters about the importance of diet. We can't talk the talk without walking the walk. So, walk down the "healthy" aisle. Do it on your fiftieth birthday you may be surprised at what you find. Besides, the kids they got older they kinda know a snow job when they hear one. I know a little secret. Our taste buds it turns out are very adaptable. If you start eating healthy foods you will start craving them and stop craving the unhealthy foods. Better yet healthy foods start to taste as good as icecream and icecream begins to taste as bad as lima beans. No lie, proven fact! It doesn't take years either only a few months.

Slip out of that slouch it is never to late!!