A desk job may be good for your bank account, but the chances are it's terrible for your posture.

If most of your day is spent sitting down, the chances are you are developing some poor postural habits. Combine this with the constant attention we give to our smartphones and tablets and your neck, shoulders and lower back are in for a rough time.

As a species, we are bi-pedal, meaning we walk upright, using our two legs to move around. For a large part of our evolutionary history, we would spend the majority of our day moving around in this manner, hunting and gathering, evading predators and catching prey, it's only during the last few decades that we have begun to spend large portions of our time sedentary, planted to chair and hunched over a screen.

Poor posture is not only unsightly, but also uncomfortable and often leaves us vulnerable to injuries with the neck, shoulders and back the most commonly affected areas.

Thankfully, simple, regular exercise can go a long way in preventing many of these issues and should without a doubt be a part of everyone's routine whether they are desk bound or not.

When choosing exercises to combat poor posture, we should look towards simple, functional exercise patterns that mimic the way the body might naturally move. Patterns such as running, jumping, pushing, pulling, reaching above the head etc as well as aiming to develop positive habits such as regular breaks to stand and stretch, setting daily step targets, reminders to move at set intervals or scheduling in occasional sports massages or spa days to relieve tension.

As with many things in life, consistently is the key to success. One quick stretching session will not undo the damage 20 years of 9-5 desk work has done, however consistent, progressive work will go a long way in treating, improving and protecting your body from the ill effects of a sedentary profession.