These four moves target key posture muscle groups. Just an important reminder – if you have preexisting neck or back pain, get your doctor’s OK before doing these exercises.

Neck: Retractions
1. Stand in your natural posture. Most of us crane our chins or heads forward, pulling the neck out of alignment with the rest of the body.
2. With your fingers, gently push your chin straight back, so that your head and ears are aligned over your shoulders. Do this periodically throughout the day to keep your neck in alignment. To turn this into a strengthening move, stand against a wall and very gently push head back against wall, resisting with neck muscles to isometrically strengthen the back of your neck. Hold for a count of three and release. Repeat 15 times.

Shoulders: External rotations
1. When you stand in a relaxed position, do your palms face behind you? If so, the rotator cuff muscles of your shoulders lack the strength and endurance to keep your arms where they should be – with palms turned in toward your body. To work these rotator muscles, lie on your side with your head supported by several towels so that your spine stays straight. Hold a three-to five-pound weight in your top hand and place a rolled up towel between your elbow and hip to ensure the proper position of your shoulder and arm.
2. Keeping your elbow bent at a 90-degree angle and your wrist straight, rotate the weight so that it points up to the ceiling, without taking your elbow from your side. Your forearm should be perpendicular to the floor. Lower weight back to floor without moving elbow from your side. Do three sets of 15 to 20 repetitions; switch and repeat.

Upper back: Seated rows
1. That hunched, round-back look comes from flabby muscles (rhomboids and medial trapezius) that run down the center of the back between the shoulder blades. To shape them up, sit upright on a pillow or several folded towels. Bend both knees slightly and flex feet so that only heels rest on the floor. Loop an elastic band or cord around both feet and hold the ends with both hands.
2. Before you even move your arms, pull your shoulder blades together, as if you are trying to squeeze a pencil between them. This activates the back muscles. With shoulder blades squeezed together, bend arms to pull elbows back to the sides of your body, squeezing shoulder blades even closer together. Keep head aligned with body throughout the move. Hold for a count of three and return to start. Do three sets of repetitions.

Lower abs: Bicycles
1. If your lower back overarches (making you lead with your belly), strengthening the lower portion of the abdominal muscles, which support your spine and stabilize your pelvic girdle, will bring your posture back in line. To do this, lie on floor. Push lower back into floor. Bring knees to chest and extend right leg out, at an angle that allows you to keep back pressed to floor. The higher the leg, the easier to keep your back in contact with floor.
2. In a bicycling motion, alternately extend legs, keeping lower back in contact with the floor. Do three sets of 15 repetitions.