7 Posture Tips For Sitting better at your desk…

Do you come home from the office with an aching neck, a twinge in your back and tight feeling shoulders? If you do, it is time to look at your posture when you sit at your desk. It is incredibly common to sit in an unnatural position if you lean forward to squint at the screen, slouch in your chair, or don't have the right desk setup.
Bad posture can not only lead to aches and pains, but it can affect your mood too. It can increase your feelings of depression, completely zap your energy and cut off your circulation.
So let’s look at how you can improve your posture to minimize these things...


1: Ears To Shoulders
A really good way to ensure you are sitting up straight is to align your ears with your shoulders. It will make sure you don't lean too far forwards or backwards. Tuck that chin in!

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2: Uncross Your Legs
The correct way to sit on a chair is with your back against the backrest and your feet down flat on the ground. If your feet do not comfortably touch the floor then you can use a footstool, laptop riser, or even an old phone book to keep your feet flat.

3: Stop Rounded Shoulders
Slightly pull your shoulder blades towards the middle back so that you keep your shoulders from rounding.

4: Support Your Spine
Your spine has a slight curve to it, so sitting in a chair with a straight back will not support it. Choose a chair with lumbar support or use a lumbar pillow to keep your spine in the right position.

5: Get Up
Try not to sit for extended periods. Work for no more than an hour, then stand up and take a break. Walk to the printer or choose the bathroom that is furthest away. Not only does the break improve your productivity, but it also gives your body the chance to move. Sitting for too long is dangerous for your health - it can cause your blood to flow slower, weaken your abdominal muscles from lack of use, and thin your bones from inactivity. 

6: Exercise
No need to sneak out for a run during work time (unless you want to, of course), but you can try some sneaky desk exercises instead. Try these ones…

• Sit upright and clasp your hands above your head. Bend slowly to one side, and then the other
• Cross your right leg over your left leg, then stretch your left arm over your right leg. Look over your right shoulder and slightly twist your body. Then repeat on the other side.
• Stretch your right leg out in front of you and point your toes downwards, then point them upwards. Repeat this action 5 times then swap legs.

7: Get A Chair Massage
Residual tension in your muscles is hard to clear without a massage.
Not only does massage ease the muscle tension that causes aches and pains, but it also gives you an energy boost and improves your mood.
Choosing on-site chair massage from Bodyworkz will mean that you get all of the benefits of massage, but none of the wasted time.
We come to your office with all of the necessary equipment and a team of massage superheroes (or we send in one to start looking after your team) depending on the size of your workplace.
Get in touch today to see how we can help your team be more productive and feel less pain with chair massage. It will be worth it, I promise!