Having good posture is mistakenly underrated by many of us. No matter how much we enjoy slouching on the couch, we’d certainly be more motivated to sit up straight if we understood just how important good posture really is.

Below are only some of the many benefits of having good posture:

• Better breathing and better circulation
• You’ll appear more confident, more professional, slimmer and sexier
• A decrease in back and body pains
• Better digestion
• Get a stronger core and a flatter, more toned stomach
• You’ll be more alert and more productive
• A noticeably better mood and reduced stress
• Keep your body aligned properly and more symmetrical
• Your brain will get more oxygen, and you’ll therefore achieve a higher thinking ability
• You’ll burn more calories throughout the day and you could lose weight
• Gain stronger muscles and better performance

Now that you’re obviously feeling motivated to improve your posture, here are 7 effective tips for improving and maintaining good posture:

1. Set an alarm on your phone as a reminder to check your posture

When you’re first starting your transition into better posture, you may want to set a recurring alarm on your phone every hour or so, reminding you to check your posture. If you happen to be slumped over your desk at the time, or curled up on the couch, the alarm will remind you to notice and fix your posture. You can also use this alarm as a time to get up and take a standing break if you’ve been sitting.

2. Buy posture-correcting shapewear

On the market these days, you can find posture-correcting garments – and they really work. For example, award-winning apparel company Leonisa sells functional apparel with posture-correcting technology such as their Back Support Control Tank and their Posture Corrector Back Support Bra. These garments work to improve your posture with specialized, reinforced criss-crossed designs in the back with shapewear, which encourages you to keep your shoulders back and your back straight. It may feel as though your shoulders are being slightly pulled back when you wear these items, which helps you take notice of and maintain your posture.

3. Strengthen your back and your core at the gym

Take a second right now to sit up straight, pull your shoulders back and fix your posture. Do you feel like you’re working harder to hold that position than you’d like? Do you feel as though you’re working your muscles to hold that ‘good posture’? This means you need to strengthen those muscles to make maintaining good posture simpler for you. Go to the gym as often as you can to strengthen your core and your back muscles. The stronger these muscles are, the easier it will be to hold good posture. Check out this article for posture-improving exercises you can practice at the gym. One great example is doing squats.

4. Imagine there’s a string pulling your head and spine up towards the ceiling

If at all times you imagine a string is pulling your head and spine upwards, toward the ceiling, you’ll stand and sit up straight. Similarly, if you’re lying down, you should imagine the string is pulling you parallel to the ceiling.

5. Use a standing desk

Many employers will purchase a standing desk for their employee if he or she asks and specifies their reasoning. And if you’re self-employed, well, then you definitely need a standing desk. If you’ll be working from home, you’re better off standing than you are sitting. Standing promotes good posture, and it’s much easier to achieve good posture while standing compared to sitting. It’s way too easy to slouch while sitting.

6. Balance a book on your head

When it comes to having good posture, practice makes perfect. One of the best ways to practice good posture is to walk around your living room with an object (such as a book) balanced on your head. If the book keeps falling off your head, it means you’re not standing straight and you need to work on your posture.

7. Invest in an ergonomic work station

You won’t want to stand while you work at all times, so think about investing in an ergonomic sitting work station, too. You’ll need one of those fancy, ergonomic chairs that have adjustable everything. You’ll need a desk that’s the right height, and a slide-out keyboard tray. You’ll need to ensure your monitors are the right height. Check out this article for tips on how to ensure your work-station is ergonomic.

Share this article with anyone who you think needs to improve their posture, or anyone who sits too much!