Tips for working from home

Sitting is the new smoking… We are not designed to sit at a desk, looking at a computer for 8 hours a day. Now, we may not be able to remove sitting from your life. We can limit the stress this causes on your spine and nervous system by following this guide.

1. Place your monitor at eye level: When looking at your screen, you should be looking straight ahead (as opposed to looking down). Also, the screen should be 18-24 inches away from your face.

2. Keep your hips and knees at 90-degree angles: This will limit the amount of tension place on your hips and low back.

3. Evenly distribute your weight between each hip: While sitting, try not to favor one hip over the other (this leads to rotation through the pelvis and low back).

4. Keep your forearms parallel to the floor: We do NOT want hiking of your shoulders as this leads to excessively tight neck muscles.

5. Keep your ears over your shoulders: Your head should not protrude forward as this contributes to forward head posture which causes a host of issues.

6. Most important: Get up and move every 30 minutes!!! Even if it’s just a quick 30-minute stretch. This helps to reset your posture and limit the stress caused by prolonged sitting in one position.

As I said, we probably cannot remove sitting from your life. However, we can limit the stress and impact this has on your spine and nervous system. Use these tips to keep your body healthy as you navigate this “work from home” transition.