Quick tips to help with your posture at work
Did you know the average person sits down up to 10 hours a day? With a large population sitting mainly at desks, more people are experiencing posture related aches and pains. Bad posture can cause increased upper back and neck pain, repetitive strain injury in the wrists and muscle imbalances meaning some muscles work too much to compensate.
Fear not, help is here - follow these simple tips to improve your posture and relieve those aches and pains.
1. Don't sit still for too long - have an excuse to get up and move around. This can help ease the pressure on the muscles used from holding yourself in a seated position and going back to a neutral posture.
2. Pull the shoulder blades together - by pulling the shoulders back and down lightly and then lifting the chest up and out can help stop rounding of the shoulders and stretch out the chest muscles.
To help strengthen this try:
- Seated row exercises and everybody's favourite pull ups
- Stretching the chest muscles and latissimus dorsi
- Strengthening the external rotators of the shoulders
3. Keeping the ears in line with the shoulders - if you continually work at a desk, looking down or holding the phone between your head and shoulder, having a pain in the neck will be a common occurrence.
To avoid this, try:
- Taking your ear down to your shoulder, holding for a few seconds and repeating the other way.
- Rotating your head to look over each shoulder.
- Stretching out your chest muscles.
4. Make sure your desk is set up correctly - Have the chair at a proper height. Feet should be planted on the floor and the back support upright. The top of the monitor is at eye level and about arm's length away. Hands resting comfortably on the keyboard. This will help encourage good posture.
Other exercises that can help maintain good posture are:
- Glute bridges
- Plank
- Side lying glute rises
- Hip flexor stretching
If you are after more information feel free to ask your Trainer and they will be more than willing to assist.
*Disclaimer: Individual results vary based on agreed goals. Click here for details.
