Your growing baby's short-term and long-term health critically depend on your nutritional status both before and during pregnancy.

The forward head posture is where your skull is protruded forward more than an inch over the atlas, which is the vertebra in your neck that your head rests on. According to Dr. Adalbert I. Kapandji, author of "The Physiology of the Joints,"

Poor posture causes aches and pains in joints and muscles. If you have back pain, chances are your posture isn't as great as it could be. Posture, according to the American Chiropractic Association, is how we hold our bodies when we're sitting, standing or laying down.

The telltale signs of bad posture may develop from poor sitting, standing or sleeping habits, or from age or the onset of a genetic or chronic bone disease. If you believe that a change in your appearance or health is due to poor back posture, that may be only a symptom of a larger disorder.

If you always seem to tell your teen to “straighten up,” your advice to help your teen improve her posture can have far-reaching benefits. Poor posture in the teenage years causes muscle strain or abnormal bone growth. Poor posture also can make your teen appear less confident.

Good posture is a combination of balanced strength and flexibility in the skeletal muscles, enabling people to walk, sit or stand in a graceful manner. Conscious activation of the postural muscles is important, especially when sitting or standing for long periods of time.

While your spine naturally curves, it curves in places it shouldn't if you suffer from scoliosis. When the spine rotates, twists or curves due to scoliosis, you may experience outward symptoms like one hip or shoulder being higher than the other.

According to The Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, our feet carry us the equivalent of five times around the earth in an average lifetime. There are many occupations that require being on your feet all, or most, of the day, like nursing, retail and the restaurant industry.

Americans spend a lot of time sitting – working on computers, watching TV, commuting to work, and more. Americans also spend a lot of time and money at the doctor’s office due to back pain – about $50 billion each year.

Your mother was right -- good posture is important! According to the American Chiropractic Association, good posture helps us stand, walk, sit and lie in positions that place the least strain on our muscles and ligaments.