How to find the right bra, examine your breasts and improve posture

Improve your health and well-being at home! Here are some quick tips for determining the right bra size, examining your breasts, and improving your posture.

Four in five women wear the wrong size of bra, affecting shape and posture. Determine the ideal size for you — and cut a better figure.

1. Wearing the best-fitting of your current bras, measure just under your breasts with a dressmaker's tape measure, keeping it taut but not tugging it. If the measurement is an even number of inches, add 10 centimetres (four inches). If odd, you should add 12.5 centimetres (five inches). This gives you your band size.
2. Now take the measure of the fullest part of your breasts, with the tape completely straight, flat against your back and drawn firmly, but not tightly, around your chest.

To find out your cup size subtract the second measure from the first:

• 'A' cup if there's no difference
• 'B' if the difference is 2.5 centimetres (one inch)
• 'C' if the difference is five centimetres (two inches)
• 'D' if the difference is 7.5 centimetres (three inches)
• 'DD' if the difference is 10 centimetres (four inches)

and so on through the cup sizes.

Examine your breasts monthly, just after a period. Get to know what feels normal for you, so that you'll recognize any changes. See your doctor if you notice any nipple discharge, a new lump or tenderness that lasts more than a month. Find a comfortable position for your breast check: lying down or standing up.

1. Raise your arm and use your fingertips to feel the breast tissue extending into the armpit. Remember to do both sides.
2. With the flat of your fingers thoroughly examine the upper, outer quarter of the breast.
3. Examine the rest of the outer half, working towards the nipple. Then press the inner half of the breast against your ribs.

Standing tall boosts well-being and self-confidence and staves off aches and pains. Try these exercises in front of a long mirror.

• Feet: Stand with your feet apart and firmly planted. Rock back and forth and side to side to get centred and put weight on the balls of your feet, not the heels.
• Knees: Stand with knees relaxed, not locked, and your body weight "dropping" through your feet.
• Pelvis: Circle your pelvis one way then the other to release tension in your lower back.
• Shoulders: Bring your shoulders up to your ears, hold — one, two, three — and let them drop. Repeat. Pull shoulders down from the ears and relax them. As your hands hang by your sides see if your shoulders are level. If not, there's work to do.
• Neck: Loll your head gently to one side, to the front and then to the other side. Do it twice. Extend your neck so your head sits easily balanced and freely on the top of your spine, with your chin neither thrust forward nor tucked in.
• Stand tall: Imagine there's an invisible cord linking the top of your head to the ceiling. Picture how it draws you up so you stand tall but still relaxed, not ramrod straight. Enjoy the feeling. Practise daily.

Understanding your body is key to feminine health. Keep these tips in mind to find your correct bra size, examine your breasts, and improve your posture in no time.