"Stand up straight!" You've heard the command more times than you'd care to count. Well, take heart -- mom does know best. There's a lot to be said for having good posture.

Good posture means standing up, or sitting upright, with muscles tight around your stomach and buttocks, and this can make you look instantly slimmer, but to maintain a good posture, you need a strong body core, which is best achieved through exercise.

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Posture exercises work to strengthen weak muscles, which are the main cause of poor posture. When core muscles are strong, they are stable when they contract, and your posture is better. Doing a few posture exercises every day will ensure the best results, and you should soon see great improvement.

Any form of stretching exercise can help to improve posture. These are exercises that stretch muscles to the point where it begins to hurt. You need to hold the stretch for a minimum of 10 seconds, up to 30 seconds, while breathing regularly and rhythmically, then relax and repeat.