I’m assuming since you are reading this, you spend a lot of time in front of the computer.  Chances are, you are sitting at your desk at work right now, which is where you spend the majority of your life.

That sounded kind of depressing. Don’t feel bad- I don’t even work a desk job and spend the majority of my life in front of the computer.

Sitting all day can not only give you the “Secretary Spread”, it is also probably the biggest cause of poor posture and flexibility imbalances, which can lead to headaches, back pain and increased occurrence of muscle strain and injury.

When you sit for extended periods of time, the muscles in the front of your body are in a constantly shortened state.  Your hips, abs and chest all pull forward, giving you that slumped, hunch-back look.

While these muscles become tighter over time, the muscles that counter act them (primarily the lower back and shoulders) are not used, causing them to weaken and exacerbate the problem.

The remedy for the weekday slump is to stretch the tightened muscles (yoga’s Cobra Pose stretches all of these muscles at once) and strengthen the weakened ones.

To strengthen the lower back, try planks and/or back extensions, and for your shoulders/upper back, rows are the perfect cure-all.

Of course sitting up straight at all times is a must.  To force yourself, you can trade your desk chair for a stability ball  (just don’t be these guys)and they even make stability ball chairs for the office.  Also, make sure to get up and walk around.  Set an alarm to go off at a set time every hour so you don’t forget.  Studies show this increases productivity as well, so don’t let your boss give you any guff.

Now sit up straight and get back to work.