By Jean Couch
Most of us have vivid memories from childhood of a slap on the wrist, whether from our parents or a teacher, accompanied by some variation on the phrase “sit up straight!” Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to work – we’re a nation of slouchers. Putting the disappointment of our mothers aside for a moment, there are real reasons to start taking our posture seriously as adults. Bad posture only begets worse posture, which can contribute to a myriad of health issues that take a major toll on businesses in terms of healthcare costs, performance and productivity. Back problems cost U.S. companies an estimated $100-200 billion annually, and research has shown that our bad posture can contribute to low libido, make us look lazier, shorter and heavier than we are, and even take 5 years off our lives!