Becoming a Strong Lady: the posture of a queen (part 2)

3 daily exercises to improve your upper-body posture

Issue 1: Rounded Upper Back

Exercise: Reverse Fly

1. Hold an elastic with your arms straight in front of you and the palms of your hands facing each other. 
2. Open your arms wide out to your sides and squeeze your shoulder blades close together. Do it while taking a deep breath in.
3. Slowly bring your arms back in front of you while breathing out. Resist the movement and count to 5.

Repetitions: aim to do 2 sets of 12 reps.

Making it harder: shorten the elastic by bring your hands closer when in front of you.
Where you should feel it: between your shoulder blades and upper-back
Where you should NOT feel it: in your upper-shoulders

Key safety tips: 

• Do not lift your arms higher than shoulder level
• Turn your thumbs out have the palms of your hands face slightly up to also work the rotator cuff and reduce the risk of shoulder impingement syndrome.
  

Issue 2: Elevated Shoulders

Exercise: Straight arm dips

1. Hold yourself in a crouching position just above a chair with your hands on the arm rests on the side of your hips and your arms straight.
2.  Without bending your arms, push down on the chair and bring your shoulders as down as possible while raising your chest up and forward. 
3. Count to 5 at the top, take a deep breath in, and then relax and lower yourself down while breathing out. This is one repetition. 

Repetitions: aim to do 2 sets of 12 reps.

Making it harder: Strap yourself to the chair with an elastic as if wearing a seatbelt on your laps before doing the exercises
Where you should feel it: under your armpits and under your chest
Where you should NOT feel it: in

Key safety tips: 

• Do not lock your elbows: keep a soft band at the elbow to avoid pain in the joint
• Keep your core tight to avoid arching your lower back when doing the exercise
  

Issue 3: Forward Head

Exercise: Posture hold back against the wall

1. Stand with your back to a wall and your heels and shoulder blades touching the wall
2. Use two fingers to drop your chin down and in toward your sternum while stretching the back of your neck.
3.  Gently push your head back until it presses slightly against the wall
4. Hold the position while counting to 30

Repetitions: aim to do 2 sets of 30 seconds holds

Making it harder:Hold the position longer and do "wall angels" at the same time.
Where you should feel it: in the back of your head
Where you should NOT feel it: under your chin

Key safety tips: 

• Do not press your head too hard against the wall

8 characteristics of a Strong Lady

Aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart

So here you are on this website, curious to learn about becoming a Strong Lady or maintaining your current status as such.

But what does being a Strong Lady mean?

Would you be able to recognize one walking pass you? Sitting on a bus? Lifting weights at the gym? Running on trails?

I decided to create a list of the tell-tale qualities of a Strong Lady.  To create this profile I researched and combined qualities that are the most commonly admired in friends, colleagues, neighbours, etc. Being a Strong Lady is an ideal more than anything since even the most admirable person would sometimes stray from the standards listed here.  Imperfections and mistakes are, after all, what makes us human and not some soulless robots.

Becoming a Strong Lady is a daily challenge. I know I am myself far from being one, but I believe acknowledging one's weaknesses and setting specific goals will be a great first step in bettering ourselves.

I would be happy to learn of your own efforts in become a better person and your opinion of what makes someone a Strong Lady.

1. A Strong Lady is fierce and confident

A Strong Lady is opinionated, knows her strength and weaknesses well and is not afraid to show either to the world. She knows to take calculated risks and to face her fears when necessary, especially if she knows it will benefit others. She has learned not to care too much about the opinions and judgments others might have about her.

She is fierce, but channels her energy not to create conflict, but to encourage and inspire others around her. As a Lady, she always shows respect and consideration for others. As a Lady, she knows how her individual choices may affect others and chooses her words and actions more wisely.

2. A Strong Lady knows what she wants

A Strong Lady has set goals for nearly everything she does. And not just vague goals, but S.M.A.R.T, goals: she knows Specifically what she wants, she can Measure it, she knows she has the skills/knowledge/strength to Achieve that goal, she picks Responsible objectives that will not harms others in her quest to achieve them, and she sets a Time limit for her to obtain what she wants.

3. A Strong Lady knows where she is going

A Strong Lady has plans to achieve her goals. Her goals are not vague dreams, but are specific, measurable and have a set deadline. When she decided to get into running, she signs up for a race and trains for it.  When she plans for a trip abroad, she sets up a savings strategy to fund her dream vacation.  She goes through life with a map, but also knows to enjoy getting lost once in a while, requiring her to start from

4. A Strong Lady thrives in helping other

Being a Lady is about leading by the example.  She believes being polite is far from enough.  Good etiquette is meaningless if it does not come from a true desire to serve others. She wants to bring change and kindness to the world through her actions.

5. A Strong Lady is courageous

Her courage comes from her belief that her efforts and actions can inspire and improve the lives of those around her.  She does not take risk just for the sake of it, nor does she do it as a boost to her ego : her actions are always purposeful.

6. A Strong Lady knows herself

She does not care much about what people think of her, because she does not need others to tell her who she is. She has strong beliefs and defends them, but they alone do not define her, making her open to learn new things that could further shape her beliefs and values.

7. A Strong Lady is not perfect, but she always aims for perfection

She enjoys learning and improving herself for the sake of it, not because others might have told her she needed to, or.  When she trains and does sport, it is because she enjoys the process of getting stronger, faster, more agile, and of reducing physical limits to her freedom. Because she knows her limits, she values the opinion and help of experts.  You are likely to see a Strong Lady training with a team or coach,  reading books, and listening to friends.

8. A Strong Lady is someone you can rely on

A woman of her word, you can always rely on a Strong Lady.  Today, with false commitments becoming so easy to make (think of the Facebook Events "Going" button), many people seem to have forgotten the meaning and consequences of saying "Yes" to an invitation.  A Strong Lady picks her words carefully. She would rather say "I am not sure at the moment" or even decline an offer than politely and carelessly say "Yes". For her, saying "Yes" to an invitation, is like making a promise, and she will treat it as such: doing everything in her power to keep it.  She knows that people might have re-arranged their schedule, made plans, or even spent some money because of her "Yes" and she knows that nobody likes to be let down.  If she ever needs to cancel or reschedule, she will try to do it as early as possible and sincerely apologize.

To your opinon, what else makes someone a Strong Lady?

I am not a Strong Lady yet, most of us aren't, but I believe she is an ideal many of us aspire to.  If you know of someone who is very close to this ideal and has most are all of these 8 qualities, you are a very lucky person. Cherish that friendship and opportunity to learn by the example.  Chances are this Strong Lady in your life would be more than happy to help you on your own path.  

Want to learn more about how to cultivate the qualities of a Strong Lady, then follow this blog.  It will provide tips, strategies, and inspiring examples to help you on your path for self-improvement.