Happy Monday!
I have spoken with many people AND seen many patients that share with me their aches and pains they have from sitting at their desk all day. The four biggest areas of complaint from sitting are neck, shoulder, wrist, and back pain.
Here are five tips I give DAILY that can help you get in your best posture at work and help to avoid these aches and pains.
First, you want your monitor screen of your computer to be at eye level. This allows you to keep your neck in it’s natural position. If you have a laptop, I highly recommend getting a docking station and setting up a monitor. Laptops are serious traps for poor posture!
Second, with your arms resting at your side, your keyboard should be at elbow height with your elbows bent to 90 degrees. This allows you to keep your wrists in a neutral position AND no unnatural lifting of your shoulders.
Third, place your butt all the way at the back of your chair and then sit up tall. If your chair doesn’t meet your back, adjust the back of the seat or place a pillow behind you. This allows for your low back to be in a neutral position and not apply increased compressive forces that you can get from slumping in your chair.
Fourth, make sure your hips are either in line with your knees or a little higher. Again, this helps to maintain your lumbar and pelvis neutral.
Finally, MOVE! That’s right move. I have a few suggestions for this one. First, don’t sit for longer than an hour at work. I know, I hear you moaning on the other side there saying, how is this possible when I am stuck in a meeting? I tell my patients to drink a lot of water and then you end up having to excuse yourself to the restroom 🙂
The other way to move is get on your freakin’ yoga mat! The power yoga practice really allows you to open up your tight muscles and strengthen the ones that get weak from sitting.
If you love these tips, then you will love hanging out with me while I lead Poses for Posture. I am teaching this workshop this Saturday, June 6th from 1pm to 3pm. We will go over seated posture more in depth and target those muscles that get particularly tight with sitting. Also, I will have a little check list of how to fix your desk at work AND a hand out of some simple poses you can do throughout the day to help your posture.
I hope to see you on your yoga mat in class or this Saturday!
Shine On,
Jackie