When I was younger, I used to have perfect posture. I had a choir director who just drilled posture into us. Through the years, my posture has changed. I'm a writer, so my job has me glued to my computer desk all day long. I try to maintain good posture but by the end of the day, I find my shoulders hunched forward and I end up with an aching back.

I found an article about this simple exercise designed to improve your posture. The exercise is dubbed "The Superman" because you start with your arms stretched straight out in front of you. There are no weights required and it works all the right muscles. I tried it and my back and shoulders feel loose and better than they did before. Whether it will improve my posture remains to be seen, but I'm willing to give it a try!

Want to try something different? Back in March, Jacki posted about a posture exercise she's been having luck with. Developing better posture is well worth the effort. Not only will your back and shoulders thank you for it, better posture can even help you look slimmer in your swimsuit.

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Back pain is no laughing matter. If you've ever suffered an acute episode of back pain, then you know how difficult it is to be mobile when your back is hurting.

Though doctors used to prescribe rest for back pain, that recommendation has changed. Instead, they say, get up and get moving again as soon as you can stand it. They theorize that because spinal discs don't have their own blood supply, movement increases circulation and aids in recovery. Exercise also helps patients feel better and reduces pain and anxiety levels. In general, most cases of acute back pain heal on their own without any intervention.

If you've suffer from frequent back pain, then this article from Forbes may interest you. It says that low-tech methods of intervention seem to be working better than more invasive procedures, in many cases. Visit AOL Body's back pain center for more information, as well.

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Your back is the key to everything. If you have a weak back you're suddenly weak all over. Injure your back and you're pretty much useless until it gets better. Having back pain means you hurt all over. The spine is the center of the human body, and all the muscles that connect to it help make up the core of who you are -- take care of your back and your spine and you're well on your way to taking care of everything else.

Try these tips for having a healthier spine:

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What is the best kind of bed for sufferers of lower back pain? The bed that makes them feel better. That's what researchers found when they attempted to answer the question, "Does a hard bed or soft bed relieve back pain?"

They delivered one of three types of beds to study participants -- a water bed, a memory foam mattress, or a hard futon. Many of the study participants dropped out early on in the process, but among those who stayed, there was no clear answer on which type of bed worked.

Doctors recommend that back pain sufferers use trial and error to find the bed that relieves their pain, because patients respond differently to a variety of sleeping surfaces.

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An estimated 80-90 percent of the U.S. population will suffer from spinal pain at some point in their lives. According to the American Chiropractic Association, people who are overweight or obese, and who smoke, lift heavy objects, or had a previous episode of back pain, are more likely to experience back pain.

Here are a few tips from the ACA website that may help your back stay injury free:

When Standing ...

• When standing, keep one foot slightly in front of the other, with your knees slightly bent. This position helps to take the pressure off your low back.
• Do not stand bent forward at the waist for prolonged periods of time. The muscles in your low back become deconditioned in this position, which may lead to pain.

When Lifting ...

• At all times, avoid twisting while lifting. Twisting is one of the most dangerous movements for your spine, especially while lifting.
• If the item is too heavy to lift, pushing it is easier on your back than pulling it. Whenever possible, use your legs, not your back or upper body, to push the item.
• If you must lift a heavy item, get someone to help you.

When Sitting ...

• Keep your knees slightly higher than your hips, with your head up and back straight.
• Avoid rolling your shoulders forward (slouching).
• Try to maintain the natural curve in your low back.

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At 11 a.m. every day, my former boss would walk through the office and say "I'm going swimming." He'd be back in the office two hours later. Every day. You could set your watch by him. Rain, snow, or sunshine he always chose swimming as his main exercise. It's no wonder, either. Swimming works nearly every muscle group, the water creates natural resistance but also cushions your joints, and you can modify your workout to match your fitness level. It's a particularly good exercise choice for people with limitations (such as obesity, arthritis, and back pain) for other cardio exercises.

You can get the most out of swimming by improving your technique. For example, you don't want to hold your neck too high in the front crawl, hunch your shoulders in the breaststroke, or fail to properly rotate your hips during the backstroke.

Check out AOL Body for other great workout ideas.

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An Australian study recently found that certain occupations are more likely to have workers with certain health conditions, and the results were somewhat surprising. For instance, they found that people in management were less likely to have cancer than those who worked in skilled trades or who were laborers. The also found that those in the retail industry were more likely to have back pain or arthritis than those in more labor-intensive positions like construction.

What researchers were unable to do was discern why these trends are in place. It isn't necessarily that managers develop cancer less frequently than others, or that those in retail get hurt more often. It may be, for instance, that people who are prone to arthritis choose a field that requires less lifting.

What stands out most to me is that among the people surveyed -- age 45 to 64 -- two-thirds had some sort of chronic medical condition. Does that seem high to you? It does to me.

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Anyone who's experienced back pain knows that it can wreak havoc on every aspect of your life. But preventing back pain is up to you -- here are some tips from Everyday Health on ridding yourself of it:

1. Identify the problem. Is it poor posture? Repeated strain? What's causing your back problems?
2. Stretch. Increase your mobility by stretching those muscles that are strained or pained.
   
3. Strengthen. Starts gradually building up the muscles in your back.
   
4. Exercise. Start doing aerobic exercises, like walking, running, swimming or riding a bike. Workout gently if you're in pain.
   
5. Straighten up. Be aware of your posture at all times and make sure you sit up straight.
   
6. Stand up straight too. You need good posture when you're standing too. Holding your shoulders back will make you look slimmer and more confident.
   
7. Lift well. Practice proper lifting practices -- and don't bend over to lift something.
   
8. Sleep well. Sleep on a firm, quality mattress, and sleep with your back in a natural curve.
   
9. Warm up. Make sure you're doing a warm up before all exercises and lifting.
   
10. Be healthy. Your back can only be as healthy as the rest of you. Eat well and practice healthy habits.

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Back pain prevention is probably something we don't think of every day, but if you work in an office or sit for extended periods of time, you probably do think about it from time to time.

But, do you ever plan on trying to alleviate the pain that comes from the back area?

Planning and preparation is a good methodology for trying to solve any problem, but it's almost an absolute requirement when it comes to back pain. After all, if we can't stand or walk without pain, life quality dives pretty fast.

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Stem cell research continues to advance, as the discovery of these "moldable cells" has been discovered for the first time in the intervertebral discs of the human spine. For those with spine problems or chronic pack pain, this is very exciting news.

Disc slippage and wear causes millions globally to experience back pain that this there day in and day out. Repair of those discs without painful surgery would be nice, and the possibility of treating lower back pack with stem cell techniques could be somewhere in the future of medicine.

Water-binding molecules can be lost due to cells lost as these discs degenerate, and after knowing a few people with chronic back problems, they'd give anything to get rid of the pain -- and if new cells could be created from regeneration in this area from intervertebral discs, that would be good (really good) news for quite a few people.

And stem cell research marches on...

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A new study shows that the insoles so many people buy to help ease back pain may not be doing a thing for them. When researchers reviewed a total of 6 different studies including over 2,000 people they found no evidence that shoe insoles do anything to help or prevent back pain. At all.

Basically they found that although insoles are not completely worthless (they do still cushion the foot, and they have helped many people with many issues) as a general rule they are prescribed for the wrong reasons. Sore feet? Sure. Back pain? Not so much.

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No one seems to understand why, but a recent study found that acupuncture -- even when it's done incorrectly -- works better than conventional medicine for treating chronic back pain. Researchers theorize that having a competing stimuli confuses pain signals to the brain and relieves pain, or that having a positive outlook about the benefits of acupuncture may have created a placebo effect. Whatever the reason, actual acupuncture improved back pain in nearly half the group and the "sham" version of acupuncture did nearly as well. Conventional treatment only helped about 27% of patients. Interesting. Anyone out there who's schooled in acupuncture willing to share their ideas on why this works?

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There's plenty of reasons to maintain good posture. Sitting up straight reduces back pain, gives your more energy, and will make you look 100% better in photos. But if you've been a chronic sloucher all your life, how do you break the habit ?

Enter the Posture Alarm. The device does more or less exactly what you'd expect -- it sounds an alarm every time you fail to maintain an upright sitting position.

Sure, it looks kinda funny, and I'm sure that alarm will be incredibly annoying for the first couple hours you're using it -- but bad habits are hard to break, and sometimes you need to give yourself a little tough love. Plus, just think of how much better you'll feel once you're finally comfortable sitting with the posture you've always wanted.

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No pain, no gain. That phrase is not only stenciled onto the t-shirts of millions in gyms every day, it's a way of life for many physically active people. But when the pain intrudes into everyday life -- like back pain -- what can you do to fix it?

The causes of back pain are outside the scope of this post, but considering that most cases of back pain I've seen are from overuse or over extension of back muscles when performing some kind of physical activity, that kind of pain cause most definitely is under your control to stop. Right?

Oddly though, a lack of regular exercise can also be a cause of back pain -- since the back becomes weak over time and even a small amount of tension can cause a rigid muscle to be overextended. Remember, the goal of muscles is for them to be strong and pliable -- not rigid and hard. See other back pain causes here -- do these describe what you do sometimes?

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