Florida-based personal trainer and corrective posture therapist Christi Slaven gives us the best tips for building core strength.

Take a deep breath and sit up straight.

Bringing attention to your posture for a moment isn’t too challenging. But like so many other good habits, it’s hard to maintain. After a while, you return to your old patterns and that familiar slouch. If you keep it up, however, you are richly rewarded. Good posture has numerous benefits. You breathe better, feel more confident, experience less pain, and sustain fewer injuries.

So why don’t more of us stand tall? Blame it on a weak core. The core, as the name suggests, is made up of those muscles found at the center of your body. It includes your pelvis, lower back, and abdomen. These structural muscles hold you upright, but they do far more than improve posture. A strong core makes everything you do easier, less painful, and more effective.