i always knew that i had bad posture since my back hurts all the time. but i didn't realize it was that bad until my boyfriend pointed it out to me last night. are there any ways to make my posture better?

Practice is all I know of. I have horrible posture too.

I think the only thing to really help is consciously practicing. If you feel yourself slumping, try to sit up straighter. I've always had pretty good posture, but I've had to been conscious about it.. especially if I'm on my laptop on the couch, I often find myself slumping over instead of sitting up straight.

I always kinda hunched a bit when I was younger. I was always taller than everyone until I went into high school. You just have to practice standing up straight. Do it while you walk, sit. It's hard to get used to at first. I found pushing your arms back helps you keep your posture straight.

im guilty too. i cant stand straight even if ya'll paid me to!! just practice, i guess.

You can do like they did in the Princess Diaries and tie a scarf around you so you sit up straight?
Or maybe a back brace? (I know thats a bit extreme.)

I know in volleyball, when they teach people to keep their elbows straight, they use duct tape. So that there's resistance when you try to bend your elbow and it reminds you to keep it straight.


You could always try sitting up straight and put a piece of duct tape down the center of your back?
Although I'm sure that would hurt like a mother when you took it off D:

I actually invested in a fully boned corset several years ago, because not only do I love them, they're perfect for helping with posture issues. It's an expensive remedy, but it works wonders.

it is definitely hard to get used to standing/sitting up straight. not very comfortable. has anyone heard of the true back? i guess my boyfriend saw it on infomercials. i wonder if it works real good

and thank you everyone for some tips :)

When I stand I always stand up straight, however when I sit down I tend to slouch, about a month ago we had a moulin rouge party and we all wore corsets, of course you cannot slouch in a corset. Anyway, since I wore that I haven't slouched as much, if you do certain exercise (we go to aqua-aerobics) it encourages you to have a straight posture as other wise the exercises cannot be done properly, it will strengthen your muscles as well so a straight back is easier to maintain for long periods of time as well.

I have bad posture, due to being hypermobile, and also because I don't have a good awareness of where my body is in space. So for me it helps to move in front of a mirror to get a sense for what looks reasonably straight! Also, try the basics of the Alexander Technique - consciously lowering your head, lengthening your spine, etc. And developing your 'core strength' muscles (in your belly, yo!) helps. Try the 'plank' exercise (find it on youtube and copy). For some people, it helps to walk around with books on their head - that never worked for me!

i just did the plank exercise & it is already starting to feel better :) i need to do ab workouts for sure

Bad posture, very often, comes from having weak abs. If your abs are strong you can "tuck your butt" better and stand straightly. Do ab exercises!

Ab exercise is definitely the way to go for better posture. Especially the plank as Estella mentioned.

yoga!

i figured that would help as well. i got a three set of dvd's for christmas. just need the motivation/time lol

stick a rod up your ass.