Are you sitting with good posture?
Why?
This is thought to be the position (as guided by The Health and Safety Executive9) which places the lowest stress and therefore risk of injury to the body. It is worth noting that however good your posture is, the most important thing to do is move and change position.
The most ‘ideal posture' is likely to be different for different people, therefore it is worth experimenting and working out which postures work well for you.
What?
Keep your:
- bottom at the back of the chair
- back supported by the chair
- eyes approximately level with the top of the computer screen
- computer approximately finger tip distance away from you
- hips level or above your knees
- elbows level or above your wrists
- feet on the floor (place something sturdy under your feet if needed)
Related videos
LittleNudge’s movement reminders
The three most important things to remember are that movement should be:
- simple
- frequent
- comfortable
- and even better... if its fun!
The length of time you do the exercises for is up to you. As long as it is comfortable during and after the movement; the more movement the better.
If you are new to doing these movements, it is worth starting with a small number of repetitions (eg.5) and slowly increasing over time.
When stretching, hold positions briefly in a comfortable position. You can risk injury if you hold long or painful positions, especially if you are not warmed up.
There are lots of reasons to do these movements. The main purposes are to:
- boost circulation to areas where blood flow becomes more restricted as a result of sitting (eg. the buttock muscles)
- give you a brief break from computer work
- relieve tension and warm up your muscles
- release pressure on those more compressed parts of your body (eg. the discs of the spine)
If you can find ways to make the exercises fun.. even better!
You can adapt and add your own exercises to those provided (ensure they are comfortable..) Please send us any video exercises you like to do in your office and we will post the best ones on our blog.
We would love to hear your ideas so please send us videos of exercises you like to do in your office and we will post the best ones on our blog.