During the working week, the average person spends longer at work than they do in bed and for several of us, it means broadened sitting periods in front of a computer. Sitting down for long hours can take a toll on your body, especially your back, when you sit incorrectly. According to the Circle health group, there has been an epidemic of lower back pain, and the reason for discomfort in many people is poor posture. Many of us are guilty of slouching. In recent years, you might have been doing it more frequently and wonder how to improve your posture. Good posture is crucial whether you are working from home or in your office at your workplace.
You are probably not thinking about if you're sitting using the proper posture every minute of the day. For that reason, it is so easy to get carried away and slump over your work computer while watching videos or working. Cleveland Clinic explains that while posture includes the way you stand and sit, it also entails holding and moving your body in every activity, including while you sleep. Also, the National Institute of Health says that in the long run, you can reduce the risk of increasing numerous pains and aches, breathing problems, and even issues to do with your balance by paying more attention to your posture. With this in mind, let us look into how you can train yourself to have a healthy and good posture while sitting. If you stay for several hours behind your desk, you should probably read till the end to avoid falling victim.
How to have a healthy posture while sitting.
1. Use the right seat
If you spend long hours sitting behind your desk at work, you should consider using a back support seat. If you type a lot in your job, you need support for your forearms and wrist because supporting them yourself can lead to muscle and joint strains in your upper back, arms, neck, and shoulders. Research from Mayo Clinic says that cyclic strain injuries on your wrists can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome, which has symptoms like pain, numbness, and tingling. It would be best to use a seat that pivots or swivels to avoid twisting when you turn around to talk to your co-workers. If you cannot sit comfortably, your employer has been legally obliged to make the adjustments for you.
You can achieve the proper posture by using the Flexispot ergonomic office chair OC3B, which contains an adjustable lifting headrest with a hanger and a 3-position lifting armrest. Apart from these two features, the chair has reliable, ergonomic support with a breathable mesh to avoid too much heat and passive lumbar support, which releases pressure from your body while sitting at home or in your office. This Flexispot chair is the right seat to help you gain the correct posture for an affordable price.
2. Raise your chin
Allowing your chin to drop can strain your spine and cause pain in your back. If the position of your computer screen is placed so that you need to lower your chin, you should also lower your chair or raise your screen. It means that the center of your computer screen should be parallel with your eyes while looking straight ahead. While we mentioned earlier that you could invest in an excellent ergonomic chair which can also help in this instance, you can consider getting yourself a monitor mount. The Flexispot intelligent monitor arm with a docking station MD01 has flexible expandability that can help you lower or raise your screen to parallel to your eyes. Its improved gas spring hovering system ensures smooth movement that supports an ergonomically correct workstation. You can increase comfort by sitting at your desk and, at the same time, reduce eye, neck, and back strain at the same time, retract or extend your monitor arm by rotating your monitor to portrait or landscape mode.
3. Hips forward, shoulders back
Regardless of common perceptions, good posture is not about standing upright. You need to roll your shoulders back and push forward your chest at some point during the day. You can reinstate the gentle S-shaped curve to your spine by moving your hips forward. It primarily works for those who carry a few extra pounds on the stomach since this can pull you forward and cause an excess curvature on the lower spine. It might feel unnatural when you start doing this, but as your core muscles begin to strengthen, they will feel normal.
4. Treat your pain early.
You might already be suffering from the pain caused by poor posture while sitting at your job. If this is so, seek medical help to fix the issue as soon as possible. Remember that if you continue to overlook your pain, it can continue recurring, leading to severe spine conditions. A short-term pain in the back can be treated with cold/hot compressions packs, over-the-counter drugs, and minor changes to your daily routine. You should remain active as much as possible because it speeds up your recovery process. For chronic and long-term discomfort which can't be cured by improving your posture, you can consider physiotherapy or spinal surgery in some instances. It would be best if you also thought of using the FlexiSpot desk bike chair and F1 Sit2Go 2-in1 fitness chair, which has a supportive seat cushion and is height adjustable. The supportive seat cushion gives pressure support, thus bringing you an enjoyable sedentary experience; at the same time, you can adjust to sit better with its one-touch lever. Work as you sit and exercise regularly with FlexiSpot, and improve productivity by treating your pain.
5. Avoid crossing your legs.
When you cross your legs above your knee, you slightly twist your hips; hence crossing your legs while sitting for long periods can result in stiffness in your lower back. Instead, you need to sit and place your feet flat on the ground or cross your legs at the ankle level. It is more expedient to use a footrest if sitting with your feet flat leaves you sitting low and uncomfortable or if it compromises your capability of seeing your screen and reaching for your mouse/keyboard without having to bend.
6. Wearing the right shoes
Apart from taking care of your legs, wearing the right shoes can train you to have the proper sitting posture. Your spine has a natural S-shape which acts as a shock absorber, but putting on heels can undo the ways nature protects us. Even if the heel is small, you affect your posture since your body has to overcompensate for the destabilizing effect your shoes have on your balance. It affects women more than men, but everyone needs to wear comfortable shoes if they will be spending long periods on their feet. While sitting for long hours, it is advisable to remove the shoes and let your feet be flat on the ground for a healthy sitting posture.
Benefits of a good sitting posture.
Reduced headaches. Poor sitting postures increase muscle tension on your neck, resulting in headaches, but you can reduce the headaches by correcting your body positioning.
Reduces the risk of your joints wearing out abnormally. Your joints wear down with time naturally, but when we sit unevenly, we cause more pain and wearing of joints, but this is fixed with a good posture.
Increases lung capacity. Slouching compresses your lungs while sitting or standing, but a good posture progresses your breathing.
Improves digestion and circulation. Griffith says that when you compress your vital organs, they won't work well, leading to poor circulation and organ failure. A healthy blood flow requires appropriate alignment and avoiding postures like crossing your legs.
Some exercises to improve your sitting posture include chin tucks, thoracic extension, and corner pec stretch. Also, with the proper ergonomics, you can train yourself to have and improve your sitting posture and have productive working days.
Sources
https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/posture-benefits#1.-Reduced-low-back-pain
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/4485-back-health-and-posture
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/carpal-tunnel-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20355603
