My grandma always told me to stand up straight. Good posture was important to her -- her rounded back made her crazy, and she never wanted me to face the same predicament. She never mentioned that good posture could strengthen my abs. Had she done that, I would have straightened up long ago.

One of the easiest ways to strengthen your abdominal muscles and support your back is through good posture. Think you've already mastered standing up straight? Probably not -- most of us feel like we're lined up properly but really, we aren't. Time for some practice. Try these five RealAge steps for perfect posture -- and a tighter tummy.

• Pull your shoulder blades back slightly toward each other and down away from your ears.
• Lift your chest up and out.
• Pull your head back just enough to keep it in line with your spine.
• Position your pelvis or hips to create or maintain a natural arch in your lower back.
• Pull your belly button in toward your spine without changing or tilting your hips or losing the arch in your lower back.
  
  

As you may have guessed, standing up straight isn't all you need to do for strong abs -- wouldn't it be nice if it were that easy, though? Nope, you've got to work a little harder at fitness than that. But standing up straight sure is a great start.

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Sounds impossible, doesn't it? Who in the world ever thought of going to Disney and eating healthy? Crazy talk, right? Wrong! Your loving online Fitzness Expert (me) who has extremely high standards on what I put in both my children's mouth and my own can spend a day at the Magic Kingdom or EPCOT and eat as well as I would in my own home. Disney has made grand efforts to improve the healthfulness of the foods they offer, and has even gone overboard with an abundance of fresh fruit stands located throughout each theme park.

I just spent a week at Walt Disney World in Florida and returned home half a pound less than I was the day before vacation. Want to eat right while enjoying the magic with Mickey Mouse? Read on.

• Mickey makes mealtime easy on the fitness fan. Every restaurant I ventured through offered several menu options based on lean grilled meat, veggies, and/or fruit. Even the children's meals come standard with side items like: grapes, carrot sticks, and unsweetened applesauce. They also come with bottled water or skim milk. Sweet! Parents would have to go out of their way to substitute french fries and soda for their children instead of the healthy stuff. Eww! You the fitness fan, certainly wouldn't do that!
• Sit down dining restaurants offer Egg Beaters cooked without oil in lieu of regular scrambled eggs. I enjoyed this perk while dining with Minnie and Goofy at Disney's Yacht Club Resort.
• Resort dining facilities offer endless refrigerators full of fresh fruit, veggies, yogurt, dried fruit, nutritious snack bars and more.
• Seek out healthier desserts. Anywhere they are served, Disney has made efforts to make reduced fat, low sugar or fresh fruit treats available.

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Here's something that's probably the last thing you want to read right now, considering that you're likely sitting down at this very moment: Researchers from the University of Missouri claim that sitting down shuts down your body's natural fat burning properties.

To arrive at these findings, the researchers took a close look at a particular enzyme that prevents fat storage. They discovered that it was far less functional in people who were inactive, which may be a contributing factor to weight gain. The enzyme is found in the muscles used when a person is standing, something that does not bode well for people who spend most of their day on their butts.

To help keep this enzyme active and functioning properly, be sure to get out of your seat and take a short walk (around your office or wherever else) every so often. Not only will it help keep the fat burning switch on, but it will also help prevent against such circulatory issues as DVT.

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You should plan to take a seat next time you eat. It could help you shed a few pounds, say the good health experts at Good Housekeeping magazine.

Researchers at the University of Toronto fed two groups of people a meal containing the same number of calories. One group had lunch while sitting at a table decked out in white linens. The other ate while standing at a kitchen counter. The result: The standers ate 75 percent more at their next meal.

Perhaps it's the subconscious eating we do while standing that contributes to overindulgence. Sitting, focusing on our food, and consciously taking each bite is what we should strive for.

How do you typically eat?

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