We sit, sit, sit -- at the office, on our commute, at dinner and late into the evening with a laptop on our bellies. Then we don't even sit right, with bad form leading to back pain as the lower back slouches into a no-no C shape instead of its natural concave curve. Even with proper form, sitting starves shock-absorbing disks between your vertebrae and turns off your gluteal muscles. With no vascular or nerve supply, disks need movement to deliver nutrients, and a butt on sabbatical is weaker and flabbier.

Stop hunching and listen up -- your back, butt and legs need you. If you want to keep your back strong, your butt tighter and hamstrings loose, try these six strategies to minimize the physical fallout from sitting incorrectly for hours, including my favorite -- Robin McKenzie's slouch-overcorrect exercise. I've got two quick-read McKenzie books on my shelf -- Treat Your Own Back and Treat Your Own Neck -- that have saved me from costly physical therapy during painful flare-ups.

• Change It Up -- every 15 to 30 minutes, stand up and clasp your hands behind your back. Stand during a phone call or leave that hunchback position and tighten your abs. You could also wear this crazy gadget or really take your chair out of the mix with a treadmill desk. They're costly, but here's a $39 treadmill special you can build with particleboard and styrofoam from Home Depot. I soooo want this, but need the treadmill first.
  
• Lumbar Rolls are The Bomb -- I bought one from McKenzie, and it definitely restores the natural curve of your lower back. Unfortunately, my husband stole it, so buy two.
• Techniques -- Robin McKenzie's "slouch-overcorrect" exercise directs chronic sitters to move from a slouched position to upright 10 to 15 times, three times a day. Aah, this one wakes up lower back postural muscles and engages a sloucher's sleeping abs. More cerebral, The Alexander Technique teaches how to make lasting changes to your movement style to stop recurrent strain.