Posture can directly affect the quality of your life.  Good posture will make you feel and look younger, stronger and more confident, while at the same time it improves your performance in every area of life, your breathing, your movement capabilities, and reduces the risk of injuries.  It will surely help you get older without suffering from the dreaded pain in your joints!

But, how do you know if you have to improve your posture?  What are the alert signs?  Following is a very concise and clear list of the main posture alert conditions. If you happen to catch yourself in one of these posture sins, start working to correct it immediately:

-    Rounded back
-    One side of the body rotated forward or back
-    Head overhanging forward
-    Collapsed feet arches
-    Pelvis and hips twisted to the front, back or side
-    Limp chest and shoulders
-    Elevated hip or shoulder

All of the above mean that your body has fallen into a poor movement pattern due to diverse reasons, maybe muscle imbalance, injury, ergonomic issues or bad alignment while exercising.

However, the secret to correcting poor posture is easy:  you have to know it is there.  Once you know it, it’s easy to develop healthy posture habits that will help you strengthen your structure’s foundation in order to acquire good posture and a body that functions effectively.  Here are some tips for improvement:

1.    Find your body’s neutral alignment.  In this position, your spine can effortlessly deal with stress and strain.  Neutral alignment can be set while standing, sitting and moving.

2.    Keep moving.  After sitting for a period of time, you must stand up or lie down, and move around for a while in order to soften your muscles and joints.

3.    Work out your hip muscles.  If these are weak or inflexible, it may cause pelvis and lower back alignment problems.  Look for exercises that flex, extend, abduct and rotate your hips.

4.    Strengthen your abdomen.  Work out your abdominals to hold your pelvis in neutral alignment.  Do stabilizing training, in order to power your core abdomen muscles.

5.    Extend your back.  Learn back extension exercises to strengthen your spine, keep it aligned, and avoid back pain.

6.    Exercise your upper body.  Train to encourage the natural coordination and rhythm of the shoulder and shoulder girdle, as well as to strengthen the scapular and arm muscles.

7.    Do Yoga and Pilates.  These disciplines encourage and center on alignment and on the controlled movement of the spine, reinforcing good posture all the way.

8.    Visualize good posture.  Think of beautiful erect and strong trees, and imagine yourself growing tall with your arms over your head.  Imagine yourself walking and sitting in perfect neutral alignment.

9.    Ask a doctor.  Poor posture can greatly affect your life and health, so it may be wise to see a doctor and ensure you are on the right path to acquiring perfect posture.

10.    Constantly remind yourself about your posture.  You have to be aware of your posture during the day in order to fix it if you fall into a bad position at some point.  Set an alarm clock for every hour or post-it on your desk or fridge.  You can also use an ergonomic seat to help you stay aligned while sitting.

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A very important part of looking good is achieved with good posture.  It is mandatory to reflect your confident personality. A person that does not stand tall, sit straight, and bows with perfection, will never look confident in front of others.  Despite not having great looks, if a person has good posture, he/she will go a long way in attracting others towards him/her.

If you are someone who has neglected your posture for quite some time but are willing to correct it, you will be happy to know that there are some exercises that will help you attain good posture again.  It may be a little painful and difficult for you to follow the rules in the beginning, but be patient; with some perseverance, you will gain your good posture back for good.

The correct posture is when you sit with your back straight, chest up and out and your belly completely tucked in.  You have to make sure you do not sit stiff, as it will put a lot of strain over muscles and bones, and that you are using the right chair with the correct seat support.  Aim at sitting without jerking your body and at standing up in the same way.

Here are some exercises that will make you aware of your posture constantly, so that you can work on correcting it once and for all:

-    Cervical retraction.  Sit straight up on a chair, make yourself comfortable, and ensure your feet touch the floor.  Next, relax a little and pull your chin straight in, not nodding your head.  Repeat around ten times and feel how different your cervical posture feels when you do it.

-    Shoulder blade squeeze.  Sit on a chair and put your hands on your thighs.  Take time to relax and then, slowly move your shoulders up and backwards, squeeze your shoulder blades   together.

-    Breastbone lift.  This is perfect to strengthen the lower trapezium muscles.  Sit comfortably and lift the breastbone a few inches higher, compress your shoulder blades down and together.

-    Abdominal pull-in.  This is the best way to tuck your belly, and it is a very easy exercise.  Pull your stomach in while inhaling, and then exhale gradually and relaxed.  Repeat several times while you count to five.

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