You know good posture is important. Right? You know it, but that doesn’t mean it’s always at the forefront of your mind. And you’re not alone. So many of us are slumping and slouching our way through the day. This issue is only being exacerbated by the fact that a lot of us spend our time hunched over keyboards and staring down at our phones, too. 

So what do we do? Good news, people! Perfecting your posture might not be as hard as you’d think. Think of bad posture as a bad habit. It’ll take some time to break it, but you can absolutely do it. Here are some quick and easy tips you can use:

Find your alignment. 

What does good posture feel like? To find out, it can be helpful to first figure out what it looks like. Stand straight in front of a mirror. Align your ears, shoulders, and hips. Relax your shoulder blades down your back. Elongate your neck and imagine a string lightly pulling the top of your head up towards the ceiling. Tuck in your chin and pelvis slightly, keeping your core strong. 

Once you’re in alignment, hold it and note how it feels. It’ll be a whole lot easier to maintain good posture when you know what it feels like in your body.

Set yourself up for success.

It’s one thing to stand straight, but sitting is a whole other ballgame. Make sure your work setup supports you — literally. Add a lumbar pillow to your chair. Adjust your monitor so it’s at eye level. Fix your chair so your feet can be flat on the floor with your knees at 90-degree angles. Make whatever adjustments you need to be comfortable as you sit up straight.

Then, make sure you stick to it. Add a sticky note reminding you to sit up straight somewhere you’ll see it or set a reminder to go off periodically throughout the day until you get the hang of it. 

Stay moving.

Some of our posture problems stem from the fact that we sit compressed for hours on end. If you’re sedentary at home or work, get up and move more regularly. When you do, think about standing straight as you move and check your posture when you sit back down. 

With some simple adjustments — and ongoing mindfulness — you can keep your spine straight and your body feeling great. Still struggling? Take a posture corrector for a spin.