A generation ago, exercises to improve posture would largely have been the domain of the debutante and finishing school set. More closely associated with aesthetics and etiquette than tension and health, perfect posture seemed an almost laughably archaic goal. In today's increasingly computer-intensive work culture, however, posture is no laughing matter at all.

Modern technology has allowed us to simplify and streamline our workplace environments to an astonishing degree. In fact, it is not uncommon for workers to sit in the same position at their computer for hours on end without needing to get up to do anything. On the surface, this may seem to many people to be the height of progress.

Critical Exercises to Improve Posture

However, to an exercise physiologist, and to a growing number of workers experiencing chronic tension and pain, the ability to spend all day sitting is quickly beginning to look like too much of a good thing. After all, even the low-level tension and pressure on our joints and muscles while we are purportedly "at rest" can have dramatic and devastating effects if we remain in the same position for hours on end, day after day. That's why a handful of experts' recent introduction of affordable techniques and exercises to improve posture represent such a significant advance in workplace safety.

If the idea of posture exercises brings to your mind an old-fashioned image of finishing school students with a stack of books on their head, you owe it to yourself to learn how important truly progressive posture exercises can be. Savvy workers will understand that they ignore posture concerns at their own potentially significant peril. Take the time to learn how to improve your body mechanics, and you will never regret having done so.