The Best Posture is Your Next Posture
We now live in a world where sedentary, desk based jobs form the highest percentage of work environments .
Here are a few tips to try and get you moving more
Reminders: Set an alarm on your phone or watch to trigger you to move after 20-30 minutes This does not need to be a long walk. Getting up to move around the office or simply standing to do a few stretches will help.
Incidental moving - Put things deliberately out of reach - Move printers, copiers, water bottles etc out of reach so you have to physically move to get to them.
Use a small water bottle: This will encourage you to get up to fill it more often.
4) Get UP and MOVE during your lunch break: Get a change of scenery, this is good both physically and mentally. It is important to have a separate area for downtime and relaxing.
Stretch regularly: Try to get into a habit of stretching every 20-30 minutes in sitting/standing , even if you do not feel you have to. Prevention is better than a cure.
Engage in exercise: Exercise has been shown time and time again to reduce risk of injury, improve mood and productivity, help to maintain weight and improve our strength and cardiovascular fitness
Good desk set-up: I agree that we should all have an ergonomically sound desk set up. However, this does not mean that you can extend the time you spend sitting. Even the worlds best and most expensive chair will not prevent back pain in someone who sits in it 6 hours straight every day! Even if your posture is perfect but unchanging, it will create minor repetitive strain to the muscles, joints, discs and nerves that are doing all the work to hold you upright. For this same reason, sit-stand desks are only as good as how you use them.
You could argue that your best posture is always the one that is coming next. Changing your position regularly is one of the best strategies to limit repetitive strain of the body and the chronic musculoskeletal problems that come with the #desklife.
Yes, it is important to find your perfect posture during times of intense work but it is just as important to give those same postural muscles a break from time to time.
