Obtain The Perfect Posture

Sit, Stand Up - Drink Coffee, Don’t Drink Coffee – Star Jump, Squat Thrust. On a regular basis I read an article that tells me NOT to do something because it will affect my health in some way shape or form. The next week I’ll read another article that totally contradicts last week’s statement. “Hold on a minute… you told me last week not to do this”. When you reach a certain age (for arguments sake let’s say 18) you should receive a ‘guide to life’, within this guide there should be financial advice, how to fry an egg, and more importantly how to avoid getting a bad back in the workplace. Unfortunately this ‘life guide’ does NOT exist (saying that, google is not far off) so you are left with me. Sorry to disappoint.

Today I want to focus on sitting down and how you can obtain the best possible posture during your working day.

A recent study in America revealed that two out of three office workers have felt physical pain in the last six months. The survey collected reactions from around 1,000 U.S office workers aged between 18 and above. Results also disclosed - 62 percent of respondents had felt pain in their lower backs, 53 percent in their necks, 38 percent in their shoulders, 33 percent in their wrists, and 31 percent in their upper backs.

Avoid looking like Disney’s ‘Quasimodo’ with my top tips to improve posture at work

Chair

Use your chair’s back rest as long as you keep your pelvis forward. If you find yourself slouching back into your chair, move forward a smidgeon.

Feet

BOTH FEET SHOULD BE FLAT ON THE FLOOR. Sitting cross legged is out of the question as is sitting on one of your legs, or both legs for that matter (you’re not meditating at work, or if you are, please ignore) these positions cause you to get slouchy.

Elbows, arms and wrists

Keep your elbows at your sides and forearms equivalent to the floor. Then position your keyboard so that you can reach it comfortably without moving you ‘ginglymus’ (elbow joint).

Back

Tilt your pelvis forward so that you’re almost sitting on your hamstrings, rather than on your tailbone. This allows you to reduce the strain on your shoulder and neck muscles.

Monitor your height

Position your monitor so that the top of it is in line with your eye. This keeps your head in line with your torso so that your neck and shoulder muscles are less worn-out at the end of the day.

Distance from the monitor

You should sit at least a foot-and-a- half from your computer screen, this will also help you keep your head and torso in line.