SITTING at a desk for a long period of time is not great for your body.

Our spine is designed to be in an S-position naturally, which it is when we are standing. When we are seated, especially for a long period, we may tend to slouch.

Slouching brings the head forward, rounds the top of the back and pushes the natural curve of the lower back outwards, in the opposite direction to where it’s designed to be.

Sitting for a long period in this position will put extra stresses on to our scapular and upper back muscles, which causes headaches and shoulder stress.

Putting our lower back into this slouched position for prolonged periods will cause weakness of the stabilising ligaments in the lower back and weakness of our abdominal muscles, which are needed to protect the lower back.

Further creating a lower back that is weak and vulnerable, with a tummy lacking in muscle strength.

It’s extremely common for those who sit for the majority of the day to suffer with back pain, inflexibility in hips, neck problems and poor posture.

Although sitting at a desk will not be the sole cause of these problems, it will contribute towards them.

If you have previous lower back or disc problems you will have been advised not to sit for long periods as this will put added strain on the injured discs.

Take a few minutes every hour through the day to release the pressure on your spine to alleviate some of these issues.

Stretching, mobilising and improving posture will help, you’ll also feel more alert and it will improve your productivity at work.

Think about the way you sit, how long is your spine? If you sit upright you should feel taller, you may feel like you start to shrink as the day goes on if your core muscles are weaker, so try to keep reminding yourself to lift your chest back up.

Strengthen your abdominal muscles. These act as protection for your lower back. At your desk, try drawing your navel towards your spine, just enough that you can still breathe, try to maintain for as long as you can. Do this as frequently as you can.

Let your shoulders relax down into your back. Try not to let them creep up to your ears. This will create poor posture and headaches.

Yoga, pilates and core exercises will be great for releasing the stresses put on your body, improving flexibility and strengthening the core muscles to prevent any issues caused by sitting at a desk for long periods.