Unlike working at the office, you might not have a set of desks and chairs for working in the right posture. And as nobody is checking you, it’s easy to find yourself working on your bed/sofa/kitchen table, which mostly makes you feel sleepy, lazy, or sometimes, pain in the back and shoulders.
Stop it now! Here is our guide on how to maintain good posture while working from home.
Set Up Your Ideal Workspace
You might be working at home for the next couple of weeks or even months, which urges the need for setting up comfortable working conditions. Otherwise, you’ll end up suffering serious backaches.
In offices, you’ve accessed workplace desk assessments, raised desktop computers, and fancy spinny chairs.
But at home, it will require some DIY jobs to replicate your living space into a perfect workspace.
Prepare A Conventional Task Chair
Prepare a comfortable, supportive chair with a 90- to 45-degree vertical backrest, and a small, moderately thick towel. Roll the towel. Sit your bottom right to the back of the seat, then insert the towel to the gap between your back and the chair’s backrest.
This helps align and support your lumbar spine while preventing it from being overly bent forward or backward, which relieves pressure on this area significantly.
For extra comfort, place a cushion under your butt.
Prepare A Desk
Work Surface height is the worthiest-considering factor when it comes to choosing a desk for working at home. It depends on your body height and the chair height.
In order to help you get an idea of that, a person who is 5’8” to 5’10” tall should choose the desk’s height ranging between 28” and 30”. If you use a perch or saddle seat, your go-to work surface should be higher than 30”.
You’ll know that the current desk is right for you when your laptop/computer screen is at eye level.
If you find your forearms resting on the tabletop edge, your arms have to extend forward to use the mouse/keyboard, your desk is too low. On the contrary, if your shoulders are shrugged, and your arms are elevated, the desk is too high.
While sitting, check if your feet are well supported on the footstool or ground.
Don’t try to sit at kitchen tables or makeshift desks since they aren’t designed for this purpose of use. Say no to work from sofa or bed, either.
To learn more about how to set up an appropriate workspace at home, we highly recommend a reliable information source – the NHS website. This is the biggest health website in the UK, with over fifty million visits/month.
Mind Your Body Gesture While Working
Your body tends to lean to one side of your head and your eyes gradually move forward up close to the screen when you are too focused on your work, which probably results in eyesore, backaches, and stress on the spine.
While working, mind your body gesture.
Make sure to:
- Keep the mouse and keyboard close together so that you won’t reach to use them
- Remain an appropriate distance between your head and the screen – it should be an arm’s length
- Place thighs and forearms parallel to the ground
- Keep your knees bent at 90 degrees
- Sit evenly on both sides
- Head right above hips and shoulders
Take A Break
Avoid sitting and working for hours, even when you’re kept at the right gesture.
Take a short break every 30-40 minutes of working, such as getting up and walking around, having a snack, laying down, or stretching.
Just relax to relieve your body in 5 or 10 minutes, you’ll save your back, spine, and shoulders from lots of health problems.
Bonus: Some Practical Exercises To Keep Your Body Strong And Limber
Wall Posture Exercise
There are two common ways to do this exercise.
The first way:
Put your feet 12” to 18” away from the wall, then bend your knees a bit
Place your back on a wall and gradually press your shoulder blades, head, tail bone, and low back against it. If any of these body parts feel painful or uncomfortable, just relax to a point where you feel better.
The second way:
Stand up against a wall with the back of your head, shoulders, butts, and heels contact on it while keeping your shoulders back and chin tucked position.
Remain a neutral spine gesture
Keep this position up for 60 seconds
Seated Heel/Toe Raises
Start sitting with your feet flat on the ground with your hands on the sides of your chair or your lap.
Lift your heels off the floor, hold for 3-5 seconds, then back down; do the same exercise with your toes. Repeat 10-15 times per foot. Do three sets.
Figure-4 Hip Stretch
On your chair:
Sit with both feet on the ground. Lift one leg up and place the ankle of this leg on the opposite thigh/knee.
Gently press the knee down and bring it close to the floor. Hold for thirty seconds.
Repeat on the other side. Do 2 sets/side.
On the floor/bed
Lie down on your back. Put both feet on the ground.
Lift your right leg up and put the ankle of this leg to the left knee. Then, lift the left knee up toward your chest. Put your right hand through the gap created by your legs and interlace fingers just below the left thigh.
Pull the left knee as close to your chest as possible using both arms. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side. 3 sets/side.
Conclusion
We’ve just shared with you how to maintain good posture while working from home. Regardless, remember to keep a water bottle at your hand’s reach for hydration, and don’t forget to ensure your slumber quality. Happy home-working and stay safe! Thanks for reading.
Nancy Lang
