There’s one simple move that can instantly improve how you’re moving while helping you look and feel better, too. In fact, it’s so simple that it’s widely neglected. It requires no special gear. And you can do it standing or sitting just about anywhere.

The secret is…Lift your chest.     

Stand up straight and really lift that chest, so your shoulder blades come together behind you, your shoulders are pulled back, and your arms are hanging loosely by your sides. No leaning back! Your feet should be at about hip width and pointing straight ahead.

A whole-body realignment  

Notice what happens right away:

Your gluteal, thigh, and calf muscles tighten, and your tummy flattens. In fact, your entire core engages.

Your back moves toward its natural, S-curved shape, and your whole body is more aligned.

Your hips open, and your pelvis is appropriately aligned and “tucked,” rather than tilting forward.

Your chest cavity opens, too, giving your lungs room to inflate more fully.

You stand measurably taller, gaining as much as an inch or more in height.

Make it a habit

Now try to keep your chest lifted as you walk or move. If you tend to carry your head forward, think about keeping your neck back and your chin up, so you’re looking straight ahead (imagine an invisible string that is pulling you up from the ceiling through your spine, neck and head).

This is what good posture looks like! Learn how to “stand proud,” and you’ll engage those important core muscles a lot more often. Make it a habit, and you will be less likely to stress your knees, hips, back, or shoulders while lifting or turning. You’ll also feel stronger, more confident, and more in command. So if you want to be fit, “just move”—and lift that chest while doing it.

Image: Havey Productions

Call me crazy, but my workouts are some of the best times of my week. I didn’t feel that way on day one, it’s true. But as soon as I started seeing progress, the gym became my home away from home. Here’s why:

It gives me a time and place to focus on improving how I move. It’s like a laboratory where you gain insight into your strengths and weaknesses and figure out what your body needs in order to be more balanced and functional.  (Ideally, you do this with the help of a skilled trainer who brings expert knowledge and an objective eye to the effort.) That work continues outside the gym. As you improve your patterns of movement in your workouts, you can apply that learning to all your other activities. Over time, those new and better ways of moving become embedded in your muscle memory.

It offers many ways to be challenged. The gym is a chance to show myself what I can do.  It also lets me gauge my progress in a variety of ways. How good is my movement form? How close am I to the full range of motion for a given movement? Can I do more repetitions, or throw in some harder variations? When I’m able to do a demanding exercise after working on it for a while, it gives me a real sense of accomplishment. It also makes me feel I can do whatever I set my mind to.

It’s always an energy boost. For one thing, it’s energizing to be around other people who are actively working to become more fit. Talk to gym regulars about what keeps them coming back, and they’ll often say, “Because it makes me feel so good.” As scientists now know, when your heart is pumping, your blood is moving, and your muscles are working, it benefits your body on a cellular level. It also improves brain function and stimulates the release of endorphins, your body’s natural “feel-good” chemical.   There’s simply nothing like the glow you feel after a good workout!

Image: Bryan Black Photography

                                                                                    Photo: Masterfile

We often think of fitness as one more thing to slot into our busy schedules—something to squeeze in between everything else going on. With so many competing priorities, it’s no wonder we feel we “don’t have time” for exercise.

Maybe the answer isn’t to lament your crowded calendar, but to look at fitness in a different way. As the inventor Buckminster Fuller observed, “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

So let’s stop seeing fitness as one more entry on the to-do list. Instead, let’s make it a way of being that weaves through all the hours and days of  our lives. Here are some tips for cultivating that mind-set:

Be body-aware.  Get in the habit of noticing how your body is feeling and moving. Observing where you’re tight is a cue to stretch. Similarly, spotting weaknesses or movements you avoid tells you what you need to work on. And every now and then, check in on your posture while sitting, standing, or walking. Over time each of these body connections will reinforce the others, and your body’s need to move.

Think beyond the gym. There’s no end of ways to have active fun. If you don’t have a favorite, try something new.

Turn tasks into opportunities. Chores can double as exercise, especially if you’re conscious of movement form as you do them. Work those back muscles as you sweep or rake. Stretch as you put the groceries away.  Squat to trim the plants in your garden.

Take the stairs. (You knew I’d say that.) Park a few blocks away from your appointment or shopping, and walk. Do calf raises as you’re standing in line. Every little bit helps cement the fitness habit.

Use TV and phone time.  Commercial breaks are built-in chances to stretch and move. And if you invest in a wireless headset, you can move around or even go for a walk while talking on the phone.

Get in a groove.  Ask anyone who’s over 50 and in great shape. Odds are, they’ll say being physically active is as much a part of their day as brushing their teeth or checking email. To foster that mind-set, establish a workout schedule you can stick to; then stick to it. Those early weeks are the hardest. But after two or three months of success, exercising will be your standard operating procedure, too.