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Press Clipping
Jillian quoted in...
Glamour magazine
April 1994, page 98
BEAUTY WORD OF MOUTH:
Stand up straight but not too straight
You know the old posture credo: chin up, shoulders back? It's wrong. The same goes for the charm-school balance-a-book-on-your-head stance. "These positions force the body into an unnatural, exaggerated position," says Jillian Hessel, posture expert and owner of The Well-Tempered Workout* in West Hollywood.
In the past, the fashion and beauty industries have embraced both of these incorrect postures. Now that's changing. In the last few seasons, models strode down the runway looking relaxed — arms swinging freely, backs and shoulders loose. "The fashion ideal is approaching the healthy ideal," says Hessel. Healthy posture has three natural, balanced curves, one at the neck, one at the middle back and one at the lower back [see illustration]. "They should all be in alignment. Your shoulders shouldn't be thrown back too far or your lower back will arch and your tailbone will jut out to compensate," says Hessel.
Her advice? Examine yourself in a three-way mirror. The price of bad posture? Back, neck and head aches.
Quick Posture Fixes
Proper posture resembles the illustration to the left.
- Stand with your feet firmly under your hip joints. Balance your weight evenly between the heel, big and little toes.
- Point your knee caps straight out, directly over your feet.
- Glance sideways and align shoulders over hip joints.
- Hold your chin parallel to the floor so that your ears are even with your shoulders.
*The studio is now closed; however, Jillian still offers
private and semi-private Pilates training.
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© 1994 Glamour magazine
