Diana and Scarlet, thanks for sharing! Our Mums do crack us up

I'll also chime in with a vote for yoga! I have scoliosis and do not find proper posture easy, but yoga helps alignment and strength of the core muscles that help us hold out bodies in a healthier manner.

I feel for you! I am always disappointed when I see my terrible posture in pics. It is one of my goals to improve that over the next year. I am short waisted and I have relatively large shoulders and bust compared to the rest of my frame. I tend to round my shoulders forward and that makes my waist even shorter! I heard a trick once to stand in front of the mirror and envision a balloon coming out of the top of your head floating towards the sky and feel yourself being gently lifted toward the sky by the balloon from the top of your head. Sounds weird but it works for me and it does not feel like I am straining in that position. The hard part is maintaining that position without thinking about it!

I would highly recommend going to a chiropractor - they can work wonders with back and hip problems. I gained almost 2 inches in height after going thru a series of adjustments (they were able to reverse the damage from scoliosis) and can show you visible changes on xrays as well.....

I don't have amazing posture, but it's far better than it was when I was a pre-teen. However, I do have to say that it worsened when I started working after college at desk jobs where I was at a computer for most of the day. For my first two years of work, the companies I worked for did not provide any sort of ergonomic support (due to budgetary reasons) so my computer monitor was at the wrong height and I was sitting in horrible chairs, basically like this: http://ergonomics.about.com/od....._setup.htm
Making sure I am in a chair that allows me to sit up straight, with my wrists/arms right in front of me, and my computer monitor directly in front of my face (not far down on my desk) has helped a lot, and also minimized the wrist pain I was starting to have this year.

Honestly, what *really* clicked for me was when I started playing the flute in 6th grade. (I played regularly throughout college.) Whether you are sitting or standing, you cannot take deep enough breaths or have enough control in your diaphragm if you are slouching. I learned to sit up straight, keep my head in line with my spine and my chin level, and keep my shoulders down. (When I'm cold or uncomfortable my shoulders start to rise, so I try to remind myself of this throughout the day. If I'm sitting or standing in a way where I can't take in air all the way to the bottom of my lungs, I can tell I'm slouching.)
Although this website is geared towards flute players, the general posture tips are really helpful.
http://www.jennifercluff.com/posture.htm

Yoga has helped me be more aware of my body alignment as well - I'm more able to feel when I am in a healthy or unhealthy position when I take yoga classes regularly.

I absolutely agree with the yoga enthusiasts. Going to yoga more regularly has made me more conscious about my posture and helped to improve it. I also bought this little device a few years ago that I read about in O Magazine called the iPosture monitor (http://www.iposture.com), and though it receives mixed reviews, I really like it when I remember to wear it. It gives off a little vibration every time you start to slouch, and I find that when I wear it on a regular basis, my posture improves significantly and I don't get those end-of-the-day shoulder blade aches that seem to result from slouching. I know everyone will respond differently, but what has worked well for me has been to increase my consciousness of my slouching so I can correct and improve my posture.

I must confess that I was one of those Mom's that ~gently~ but noticeably would run my finger down my daughters spine when I saw her slouch
..or would remind her when she was sitting all stooped and rounded shouldered to : " sit up, it looks more ladylike and proper"
More than anything to just be aware of how you present yourself, even if you think no one is looking.

Four words for you, Maya - Yoga to the People! I heard they just opened a new studio in Brooklyn.

Angie, my mom used to make us walk around the house with bread baskets on our heads. I'm a meanie, I'm always nagging my kids to stop slouching.

Debora and Taylor, my late Mum would approve

This has been an awesome thread - thanks so much for the wealth of knowledge shared here!

Posture is one of my big things to work on at the moment - I have no reason why its so bad, it was never something I was taught about as a kid, and I suspect that pregnancy worsened it, but I have become very aware of it now and how my body feels when I carry myself well vs slouch etc...

Another little thing that has helped (and surprised me), was to do some of the initial testing activities on Wii Fit - you have to do balance exercises and the balance board can detect your centre of gravity. I found it really interesting to note that when my COG was right, how my posture was...

I have been rousing on my girls a bit lately about their posture - I can see me doing books on head etc too LOL

Apologies if somebody has already suggested it, however I can vouch that Alexander Technique is an incredibly useful form of therapy that can be used to improve posture. http://www.alexandertechnique.com/at.htm explains AT as being:

"Alexander Technique is a method that works to change (movement) habits in our everyday activities. It is a simple and practical method for improving ease and freedom of movement, balance, support and coordination. The technique teaches the use of the appropriate amount of effort for a particular activity, giving you more energy for all your activities. It is not a series of treatments or exercises, but rather a reeducation of the mind and body. The Alexander Technique is a method which helps a person discover a new balance in the body by releasing unnecessary tension. It can be applied to sitting, lying down, standing, walking, lifting, and other daily activities..."

I studied AT when I was undertaking my music degree and it was amazing the difference correct alignment of my body made to my everyday function, my posture and dare I say it, my appearance. I would say that it is certainly worth considering if you are wanting to improve your posture.

I'm another one with terrible posture - I think someone called it a sway back once? My whole torso kind of sags forward above my hips, and my shoulders are always up around my ears! I get a gap in the back when I wear a one-piece swimsuit, which disappears if I straighten up.

I've found that pilates helped me find the correct spot for everything, although as people have already mentioned, it takes practice. I've got too many other habits I'm trying to work on this year (exercise and healthy eating and some work stuff) so I'm going to let it go for now and maybe work on it next year. Willpower is a limited resource on a day-to-day basis, so I'm prioritising

I'm very late to the party and loads of excellent suggestions and tips have already been given. (e.g. I've done a few Pilates classes myself and I absolutely agree that this can be very helpful). Like many of the others have pointed out: there is no quick solution here, it takes time to 'find your new posture' and develop new habits.

First of all, thank you Angie for mentioning me specifically! It always makes me smile when someone on the forum compliments me on my posture!

I think I've always had relatively good posture, but it wasn't until I was eleven that I was made aware of how important it actually is. After a growth spurt I was sent to a specialist because my left leg was now suddenly 0,5 cm shorter than my right leg (it still is). I can't remember exactly what that doctor said, but he must have made quite the impression. I remember driving home with my Mum after the appointment and I started practicing sitting up straighter, with my shoulders down and head properly aligned right there and then. I kept at it for the following months, I was hyper aware of my posture during all that time. But after a while I stopped thinking about it, it had become natural. I guess I trained myself into better posture;-) (and that without anyone having to nag me about it at all, ever, that was a first, and a last;-)

However, having good posture doesn't mean one is immune to back/shoulder/neck pain unfortunately. After sitting in front of a computer for years on end, I have certainly developed my fair share of issues. Even if you are aware of your posture, I still often find myself all tensed up by the end of the day. Shoulders inching closer to my ears, hunched forward, neck and head 'sticking out' (and like Kari, being cold or stressed makes things worse).

I went looking for some exercises I could do at home, and stumbled across this dvd.
http://www.amazon.com/Posture-.....038;sr=8-2
She appears to be quite well-known in the States? The dvd looks a bit old-fashioned but her advice and suggestions are still very valuable I think.
I've never done the complete exercise set, and if you're pressed for time and can only do 3 things, then I'd suggest you try to do the following whenever you remember to:

- the 'arm wave': helps you stand up straighter, it relaxes your shoulders, repositions your arms and helps you find the correct alignment
- repositioning your head and 'tucking in' your chin
- the 'doorjamb' stretch, designed to stretch the muscles in your chest, very good for people who tend to hunch forward

Hope this helps a bit.

So much good advice here. I don't have much to add.

Another vote for yoga and pilates - it helped me a LOT! I wish I had known these things when I was much much younger.

I've always had bad posture. First, I was in some kind of special gymnastics class. Then my parents thought swimming would help - it didn't. My Mom also used to poke me on the back - but it didn't have much positive effect because it only taught me a very bad habit of jamming my shoulder blades back and sticking my chest out, which is a NO.

Lately, it helps me to picture lengthening my middle back, instead of tucking my bum or turning on abs or whatever else. And try to relax the trapezius muscles, those which get super tense from computer work and daily stress - ha! easier said than done!
The former is a bit counter intuitive, actually, after years and years of jamming and tucking. If I were lying flat on the floor, my lower ribcage should touch the floor, not stick up (which is what would happen if I don't watch it). It helps a lot.