Sit up nice and straight
Why?
Sitting in bad posture / on the edge of the chair and / or having your feet dangling for long periods means that the muscles around your back have to work hard for long periods and there is an increased load on the spine.
If the knees are above the hips, the hips are placed in a more compressed position.
If your forearms are sloping upwards this can mean your biceps muscles (in your upper arm) have to work hard for long periods.
Over time, this could increase the risk of injury to these areas and you may feel pain.
What?
Move your bottom to the back of the chair and ensure your back is supported.
Make sure your:
- feet are on the floor
- hips are level or above your knees
- forearms are parallel to the ground
If your feet do not reach the ground, rest your feet on something sturdy.
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.