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"With beach season looming (yessss!), our thoughts may naturally turn to summery things like...swimsuits. And while there are lots of great ways to change up your workout sessions to tone the various areas of our bodies that haven&amp;#x27;t been exposed to the sun in months (check out some top trainers&amp;#x27; favorite moves), there&amp;#x27;s also a super-neat trick that will help you not only look good in that bikini&amp;amp;#8212;it&amp;#x27;ll help you feel good too. Brooke Siler, owner of re:AB Pilates Studio in New York City, says that posture plays a huge role. &amp;quot;Good posture helps cure many ills, including poor digestion, poor circulation, diminished breathing capacity, and overall aesthetics,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;It takes the weight off your lower back, out of your hips, knees, and ankles, and narrows your waistline. Good posture can also affect your mood for the better&amp;amp;#8212;you&amp;#x27;ll feel more confident and positive.&amp;quot; Brooke says that concentrating on your posture regularly can also help train your muscles. &amp;quot;Trying to align yourself from the ground up&amp;amp;#8212;ankles, knees, hips, shoulders&amp;amp;#8212;will help develop some underused musculature and change the way you stand,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;The key is awareness. Look in a mirror and note what you see. Are you standing up tall with your collarbones wide? Is your spine lifted? Is your waist long? Is your head aligned with your shoulders, or does it sit forward, back, or to one side? Throughout the day, find ways to check on your posture. Press your back up against an elevator wall, make sure you are upright in your office chair, and so on. Great posture takes work, but it&amp;#x27;s not impossible&amp;amp;#8212;and the results are well worth the effort.&amp;quot; She also has these two key moves for helping strengthen your muscles and improving posture: Pilates Push-Up Planks: Stand tall, facing the mat at one end. Inhale with control as you bring your arms up, lengthening your waist and squeezing the backs of the upper inner thighs together tightly. Exhale slowly as you bring your head and arms forward, shoulder-width apart, and lower your hands to the mat by rolling through your spine (not folding at your hips); the abs remain scooped. Place your palms on the mat with your head on your knees (bending your knees as needed). Walk your hands forward in 3 1/2 giant steps until you are in a rigid plank position from head to heels with the upper-body weight just past your hands and you are balanced on the tips of your toes. Lift from your powerhouse muscles and fold your chest toward your thighs. Lower your heels to the mat and push off your palms, walking your hands (with straight arms) back to your feet 3 1/2 giant steps. The legs remain as straight as possible until your forehead touches the knees. Reverse the movements and roll your spine back up to standing with your arms and waist lifted. Complete three push-up planks; use each as a chance to improve a different step&amp;amp;#8212;or two&amp;amp;#8212;of the sequence. Swimming: Lie on your stomach with your forehead down, the pubis anchored to the mat, and the inner thighs pressed tightly together. Your arms are stretched forward with the palms down, and your feet are pointed. Lift your arms, legs, chest, and head up on one count, and hold. Inhale and exhale normally as you alternate lifting right arm/left leg and left arm/right leg without touching them down to the mat. Count slowly from 1 to 10 as you &amp;quot;swim,&amp;quot; lifting higher and reaching longer with each progressive count. Yep, can&amp;#x27;t wait to book some beach tickets! Is posture something you think about?"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2014/05/bikini-body-posture-tricks>