After the summer months, many of us become less physically active. Cold temperatures tempt us to hunker down and “hibernate.” But that’s not healthy for our bodies. Let’s focus on proper ergonomics to support your back.

In an address at AIHce 2014 + Stewardship on June 3, Karen Messing, PhD, recipient of AIHA’s 2014 William P. Yant Award, described the effects of sitting versus standing on men and women who perform various types of work. Messing, who earned her doctorate in biology at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and is professor emerita in the department of biological sciences at the University of Quebec at Montreal, challenged the audience to consider whether too much standing could be problematic to worker health.

If you spend at least several hours a day at a computer, you risk nerve, muscle, tendon and ligament damage damage in your hands, arms, shoulders neck and back, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).

Think of your core muscles as the sturdy central link in a chain connecting your upper and lower body, according to Harvard Medical School’s HealthBeat.