So I've noticed that I have really bad posture. I have a large chest and blame it on this although that's not really an excuse. I have been working on sitting up straighter and walking with my shoulders back but if I don't monitor it all the time, I find myself slouching. Which always looks unattractive.

This is a bad habit that I need to change. Any tips, thoughts or advice? I think because it's habit it feels better to slouch and more uncomfortable to stand up and sit up straight. And I have excellent posture at the gym...that I was taught from by my trainer - but in real life, - work, play, etc - it's is bad. I even noticed that I have a little hump at the back of my neck!!

Yoga helps a LOT with posture!

I do posture exercises randomly throughout my day that helps me to sit and stand up straight.

I'll be standing near a wall and align my back to the wall and then hold it that way after I move away. or I'll make a point to tighten my abs and straighten my spine and hold it for 30 sec and repeat like five times. Any little thing I can do to keep things in alignment I'll do just throughout the day. Now I don't notice that much of a difference in the straight posture and my regular posture.

The same thing might work for you too...

I know what you mean -- I feel permanently rounded from the weight and boobage (like baggage, only boobs). But there are some tricks you can do to help, like the ones mentioned by c laura. Also, try to keep your chin slightly elevated (greater than 90 degrees from neck) and back (and your shoulders pressed back and down so you're not hunching), this causes the weight of your skull to tip back past the spine, and the spine will fall into a more normal position to compensate. We spend a lot of time as human beings looking down -- down when we walk, down when we sit at the computer, etc, and that causes our cervical spine (neck bones and surrounding tissue) to straighten instead of curve back. The result is that bump you mentioned, and it can get worse with age if you don't take steps to keep it minimized.

Another thing you can do is work to keep the back and chest muscles flexible, since they work together in keeping the body properly aligned. If you lie down on a bench (or diagonally on a bed with your head at a corner so that your arms can fall naturally off the bed on either side of you), reach your arms out to each side with your palms up and let them fall naturally towrd the ground, keeping that palms-up position -- this will gently stretch out the muscles attaching the arm and shoulder to the chest, and help prevent the "curved in" appearance that we sometimes get from the pull of boobage on our front side. Don't push it though -- just let yourself gradually feel the muscles stretch. If you're doing it right, it feels pretty good.

Alexander Technique is a great way to work on posture, there are certified trainers everywhere and it's not too expensive. http://www.alexandertechnique.com/

Pilates is also a great way to work on your core muscles and improve posture.

I also have bad posture but I noticed it is getting better as I lose weight. I have always felt self-conscious about my large chest and protruding tummy so I've always kind of folded myself inward to hide that. As I lose weight this is becoming less of an issue and I'm sitting up straighter naturally.

Aside from that I think about my posture all the time as I walk, and also suck in my tummy. I'm told that if I do this long enough that it will become a habit. It's working!

I second yoga, both for strengthening, and for body awareness. I also remind myself how bad poor posture makes me look.

I'll send my Grandma over to follow you around, and poke you in between your shoulder blades with her finger, and tell you to stand up straight, slouching isn't good for you! You want to freeze that way?!

Man could she dig in with just one little bony finger.

My grandma did the same thing! At 6 ft tall, slouching was a way of life for me to try to minimize my height, so I got a lot of reminders from her and my parents to stand up straight.

I think being conscious about your desire to improve your posture is a huge step in the right direction. You could also ask your friends and close co-workers to nicely remind you when you're hunched over.

I have the same bump on the back of my neck, my grandmother did too. Hate it. Terrible posture, too. I definitely have 'forward head'. I've been working on it, yoga has helped as have some of the exercises ExRx.net (forward head is about halfway down the page). I've actually noticed a decrease in the protrusion and noticeability of my neck bump in the last few months.

I don't know if you're into lifting weights, but I've noticed that after about a month of lifting weights for my shoulders and upper back (about 10 pounds or so), the muscles have strengthened so it's easier for me to sit up straight naturally. I still slump somewhat, but it's not as bad as it used to be, and I expect it'll get better as time goes on.

Yoga, Pilates, ballet or other forms of dance can all help

Have you tried the posture bras? http://www.jcpenney.com/products/C51858.jsp

I'm right there with ya on the bad posture. I've always had pretty horrible posture, and I attribute it to the weight.

I've thought about yoga, but there's no classes nearby. Suckage.

I also have really bad posture I constantly find myself slouched over sitting at the computer. I tend to sit on the edge of my chair instead of all the way against which I should start doing!

I've been using the Wii fit. It actually shows you how your balance is off and how to excercise to compensate. It has a test to do daily so I think about my posture more. I have a love/hate relationship with that darn thing but I use it for goal tracking and rainy day excercising. The yoga parts are actually pretty good too. This is not an endorsement for Nintendo or anything, but sometimes we are stronger in some muscle groups than others and I've found that thing amazingly helpful for posture.