Learn Something: The Basics of Posture

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Throughout history, humans have spent most of their time moving about. But now, more and more we find ourselves sitting, which is not necessarily a good thing. Today, office workers spend hours slouched over and hunched into chairs, moving minimally.

Even after finishing work, we continue our everyday lives on the couch. That is, if we’re even able to continue it at all. Despite the spinal, body weight related, and cardiovascular problems caused by unhealthy postures.

It’s been shown that people with sitting jobs have twice the rate of cardiovascular disease as people with standing jobs. In fact, a recent Medical Journal study showed that people who sit for most of their day are 54% more likely to die of a heart attack. Even if you dedicate a lot of time to staying fit, the time you spend sitting is still far greater than what’s healthy for your body. Even 1 hour of daily sports can’t compensate for 11-hour sitting sprees.

So, what can you do? Paying attention to your posture is the real key to a healthier life in the office. But be careful, not all sitting solutions are equal. Forcing your spine into a rigid upright position in just any old chair creates more stress on your vertibrae. It’s important to know some basics about good sitting posture before you adjust yourself.

First, you should consider what type of chair you’re sitting on. If you chose passive sitting with back support, then make sure your feet are comfortably resting. Try not to cross your legs. That can restrict circulation. Don’t lean too far forward or backward. That can crimp your nerves and restrict blood flow. Even rocking back and forth in your chair can help and recent research has shown that this minor active balancing boosts your ability to concentrate. Or consider an active sitting alternative where your body is doing more of the work. Just 2 hours a day of active sitting has health benefits such as improved core strength and burning calories. 

To get yourself into better shape at the office, you’ll need to interrupt your sitting at least once every 30 minutes. You don’t even need to do gym exercises to get moving! Get up and do some simple lunges, calf raises, and shoulder shrugs to loosen up your joints, relieve tension, and stretch your muscles. Take advantage of every chance you have to move your body.

One day, what we think of work will be completely different, and the workplace may well be a far more ergonomic and active place for your body, but until then, you can promote your well-being and boost your energy levels by simply paying more attention to your body during the workday.