Let me walk you through a normal day at work for me:

1.) Come into the office at 7:50
2.) Check emails at my desk
3.) Grab a cup or two of coffee (a must)
4.) Spend 4 or 5 hours at my desk working on reports, answering phones, calling clients, or doing research on my computer
5.) Lunch (eat out if it isn't too busy, order in if I know I'm going to be busy)
6.) Spend another 4 or 5 hours finishing up items from the morning, calling clients, or writing. Again, at my desk.
7.) Go home, grab a quick bite to eat, and hit the gym.

Now, to many of you this may seem like a typical day and for many more readers, you could use this list as a check-off sheet for your life every day at work. The trouble is, by the time I get back to my home, I'm worn out and my back is killing me. Now, let me reiterate line item #7 from above, "...hit the gym". I work out 4 or 5 days a week and I am an avid boxer. Safe to say, I am in pretty decent shape for my age. So why, with the exercising, healthy eating, and seemingly low stress job, am I still suffering from back pain most days of the week?

Now, I will emphasize some more line items from above: Lines 2-6 involve me sitting at a desk looking at a computer screen and, most likely, hunching over my keyboard or slouching in my chair by 4pm.

Think about it, I may spend 2 hours a night at the gym working out and boxing. Multiply that by the 4 to 5 nights a week I work out, and I get, on average, about 10 hours of vigorous exercise a week. Compare that to the minimum 7 hours a day I spend sitting at my desk slouching over my keyboard for 5 days a week for a grand total of 35 hours, and you see where I'm going with this.

Normal office employees spend at LEAST 35 hours a week sitting behind a desk more than likely practicing horrible posture. If you work in the financial, law, or government industry, you can multiply that total by 2... 70 hours you may spend a week slouching in a chair. I don't care how much you exercise, run, bend yourself in weird shapes (yoga), or eat healthy, NOTHING is going to help your back if you spend that much time working against it. So why not do yourself a favor and spend that 35-70 hours a week practicing great posture?

The benefits are limitless! For starters, you will go home with less back pain (if any at all). Also, straightening your back requires muscle tension in your abdominal region. Guess what gentlemen, that means you are getting an ab workout just sitting at your desk! Tighten that stomach while helping your back! Few people may realize just how many calories you burn just sitting at a desk in an afternoon. If you have a stressful afternoon, you could burn a few hundred just sitting at your desk. If you are having a stressful afternoon, AND sitting up straight, it will amplify those calorie burning benefits no less than 2 fold!

Now, it is pretty hard to consciously sit up straight and to keep doing so for several hours a day, 5 days a week. For a great help, a sturdy lumbar support pillow will keep your back properly aligned and will even help make that office chair (that was purposely bought to be as uncomfortable as possible to prevent you from taking those much needed afternoon naps) a dream to sit in for hours on end. Now go do yourself a favor: Get a lumbar pillow, tighten those abs, be productful at work, and have a happy back.