posture

Rounded shoulders and bad posture have the unfortunate effect of making us all look heavier than we really are, especially in the midsection. If you spend hours hunched over a computer, you need to combat the inevitable slouch so you can rock your bikini at the beach or wow your wedding guests as you walk down the aisle.

Having good posture can really make you look 10 pounds thinner! So try this variation on the reverse fly I learned from my Equinox trainer, Lauren; it's the perfect antidote to bad posture. It not only strengthens the upper back muscles (both the rhomboids and the middle part of the trapezius), it tones the back of the shoulder, too (aka posterior deltoid).

Learn how to do this variation on a reverse fly after the break.

We spend a lot of time waiting in line, at the doctor's office, or for a dinner reservation, to name a few. But that doesn't mean time waiting should be time wasted. Strengthen your muscles with only the slightest disturbance to your neighbors. Here are four relatively discreet exercises you can do when standing around in public (with little or no embarrassment!).

Lower-body barre moves: Barre exercises rely on small isometric movements to build muscle, so they don't require a lot of attention-getting moves. If you're near a wall, chair, or countertop, you can do the two standing Pure Barre exercises from this video: the standing pretzel and the semi-push-up. Both work your backside and while they look deceptively simple, you'll feel the burn in no time.

Calf raises: Strong calf muscles are important for flexibility as well as strong ankles, so you should make calf stretches part of your regular routine. The good news is you can do calf stretches anywhere, so remember this three-variation calf stretch routine the next time you're stuck in line.

Two more exercises you can do while waiting in public after the break.

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Health.com here on our site.

By Sarah Kehoe

Need help being less sedentary? Here are the best ways to sit less and move more, from easiest to hardest.

Pace on the phone
Invest in a two-way speakerphone, a superlong phone-to-ear cord, or a quality headset so you can be more mobile while you chat.

Even if you simply stand while on the phone, you'll naturally shift from leg to leg.

Health.com: Little Ways to Lose Big Pounds

Putter after eating
Or take a quick walk postmeals. The fat levels in your bloodstream are highest after eating, and simply moving around afterward increases the activity of lipoprotein lipase, which spurs your metabolism.

Opt for bar seats at restaurants
Sit on the front third of the bar stool. Spread your feet just wider than hip distance, so they're supporting a fair bit of your weight, and gently roll your hips forward, arching your back slightly.

This position is called "perching" — it maintains an S-shape in your spine and distributes your weight more evenly.

Health.com: 20 Ways to Torch 200 Calories

Leave the seat at home
Whether you're going to a concert, tailgate, or park, don't bring a chair.

You'll find that if you don't have one, you stand the whole time or naturally move back and forth between your blanket and standing, says Marc Hamilton, PhD, a microbiologist at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

More suggestions for giving up the chair after the break.

We are pumped to share one of our favorite stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Pumpkin pie, Christmas cookies, potato latkes, mashed potatoes and gravy . . . We're all guilty of overindulging in December but getting back on track doesn't have to be as difficult as it sounds. It may take weeks to melt away those post-holiday pounds but it's easy to create the illusion you haven't gained an ounce simply by improving your posture.

"Most of us spend way too much time slumped in front of computers, slouched at steering wheels or vegging out in front of TVs," says fitness expert Liza Savage-Katz. "It collapses lung space which restricts our breath, affects our mood and cuts off proper nerve and blood supply to the brain."

To counteract these bad habits, Savage-Katz recommends a few "very simple exercises kind of like sucking in your stomach" to "carry your body as nature intended." You'll instantly look as if you've dropped five pounds. Add these three moves to your daily routine to "strengthen your abdominals, improve your posture and strengthen your back."

Get the moves after the break.

Sitting at your desk? Here's a friendly reminder to sit up straight. Bad posture affects you all the time, from when you sit in your car to how you walk.

At a recent session with my personal trainer, I was reminded of just that fact. We were going through a set of balance exercises and I kept having to stop to straighten my back to keep myself from hunching over while I jumped on and off the weight bench.

Having to constantly correct your form during a workout isn't the only way bad posture affects you. Read on for why bad posture is really so bad.

Strapless and backless gowns give a bride an opportunity to show off her shapely shoulders. But a blushing bride doesn't want to look muscle-bound as she walks down the aisle, so one must be strategic when it comes to upper body toning. The trainer behind some of the hottest bodies in Hollywood, Harley Pasternak — he helped Hilary Duff and Katy Perry get wedding-ready — has some tips to help us all look stunning in this season's revealing necklines.

The trick to looking good in a strapless dress is posture. Standing tall with the aid of a strong upper back ensures that all those wedding photos turn out lovely. Harley recommends strengthening the rhomboids and triceps to "pull your shoulders back, give you a natural boob lift, and give you a nice long lean strong upper back and arms." Um . . . yes please! Here are four exercises he recommends to do just that:

• Dumbbell rows to work the rhomboids.
• Cable rows to strengthen the upper back. Here's a rowing variation using an exercise band if you don't have access to a cable pulley machine.
• Lying dumbbell triceps extension for the back of the upper arm.
• Single dumbbell triceps overhead extension will challenge your posture while toning your triceps.

See the exercises Harley suggests brides avoid.

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Mom may have been setting you up for success when she told you to "Stand up straight!" as a kid.

According to new research from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, people who have better posture are more likely to think and act in a powerful way, and take an in-charge role — whether they are a high-powered manager or a newbie intern.

Despite mom's reminders (and the occasional poking of a pencil eraser between our shoulder blades!) we know our posture could be much better. So we called Pilates intructor Marcia Polas, of polaspilates in Denver, CO, to find out how we can correct our stance.

If you have kyphosis (a hunched posture, commonly called "slouching")
Try: Prone arm raises

Lie on your belly with legs straight and inner thighs turned out. Place a ball or rolled up towel between your heels. Rest your forehead on a folded towel, and place a pillow or folded towel under your belly (a trick to help you engage your abs). Bend your arms 90 degrees so hands are in front on you, roughly in line with your shoulders. Squeeze the ball between your heels to engage your inner thighs, pelvic floor and butt. Exhale, feeling your belly engage and lift your arms and hands a few inches off the ground. Hold, then inhale and lower. Repeat 10 times. Throughout the exercise, focus on keeping a wide back, pressing your rib cage toward your elbows and resisting the urge to allow your shoulder blades to come together. When you've nailed this with perfect form, you can add a chest lift.

Like almost every young girl, I loved ballet class. Unlike the majority of my peers, I didn't quit ballet in junior high but added the sparkle fingers of jazz and the barefoot freedom of modern to my class load. And I kept on dancing through college and my 20s — I earned money for rehearsing and performing and got to tour abroad — not a full-fledged professional, but sweet perks for doing what I loved. I learned some things on the way, too; unsurprisingly, many transfer to my fitness life today. Here's just a handful of life lessons from my dancing days.

• Stand tall: After countless hours spent at the ballet barre followed by a decade of teaching Pilates, good posture has been drilled into me. My elongated spine keeps my back happy sitting or standing, and posture is one less technical detail to worry about when running. I think good posture is a confidence booster in any situation.
• A good warmup is a good thing: Before you leap you have to plié, if you don't want to tear any muscles or freak out your tendons. Dance classes begin by warming up the body to prime muscles and joints for bigger, bolder movements later in class. This lesson applies to all my workouts — I even like to warm up before yoga. Appropriate warmups are the foundation of a good workout.

I learned a few more things, so keep on reading.