Got Sway back? I do - Let's fix it!

I have worked very hard to rid my body of fat and tone my muscles and though I am not all the way there I was continually frustrated with my lower abs. It almost seemed like the harder I worked the more prominent my lower pooch became. I was confused and I was also experiencing some serious lower back pain throughout the day. At first I figured it was because I had 5 c-sections and my lower abs had been through the ringer to say the least and maybe I was just never destined to have that completely flat look again. Then in a casual phone conversation with my sister-in-law who has also been shedding the baby weight and exercising a lot she complained of almost identical symptoms, lower belly pooch no matter how much weight she lost along with lower back pain. After speaking to her I figured there had to be a reason other then just having a baby for this lower back pain accompanied by a pooch with solid abs yet make you look like your 3 months prego and it all was brought on after beginning to exercise on a regular and intense basis. Well it did not take me long to discover exactly what it was. It's called an anterior pelvic tilt or Lordosis ( I grew up with horses and we had a few old ones with serious sway back and I always told my husband that is how I felt)  The cause for anterior pelvic tilt is most commonly tight hip flexors, although there are other causes as well. It only took one good attempt at a hip flexor stretch to discover  this was the muscle group causing my tilt and pooch. I could hardly do the stretch and when I did it was extremely painful. I had been concentrating on on my major muscle groups when I stretched, like quads, hamstrings and back but I had failed to give the correct amount of attention and time to these small hidden muscles.

So how do you know if you have it? Well if you have similar symptoms to me or when you turn sideways your hips and back look like this guy or this lady below then it's a pretty sure self diagnosis although you could always visit a Chiropractor and express your thoughts about having Lordosis and they should be able to confirm it right away. But if the front of your pelvis sits lower then the back I'd say you've got it.

  This picture above is exactly how I look, well I don't wear weird undies like that but the sway in the back producing a flat lower pooch is almost exact. So how do you fix this issue? Stretch, stretch, stretch! I could get into all the medical terms and reasons for this problem and tell you how to do it but I chose the lazy route and found a you tube video to do it for me (gotta love you tube!)

I have committed myself to doing stretches for my hip flexors 4 times a day for 4 minutes each time. So if you have this issue (which a lot of women do) then you may consider joining me in this quest to rid yourself of the pooch and improve your spinal placement and posture. What I love about this discovery is the proof that it is not all about pounds but rather a balance in your body and how so many factors contribute to a lean and healthy looking you!