Performing our daily tasks like sitting at a desk, hunching over paperwork, and staying stagnant for hours encourage bad posture and can have several negative effects on the mind and body.
Good Posture Effects so Much More Than Just Standing Taller:
• Optimizes breathing
• Alleviates back pain
• Increases self-confidence
• Increases core strength
• Increases metabolism
• Lowers cortisol levels
• Increases testosterone levels
To counter the multitude of hours that we sit, work, drive, stare at a computer, and text, focusing on our posture daily is crucial. To achieve good posture, we need to awaken the muscles that are taking a vacation while we are hard at work. We can accomplish this by engaging our rhomboids to support the upright torso, pull our shoulders and head back, engage our glutes to counter tight hip flexors from sitting, and get the scapula moving!
Below is a short posture routine you don’t even need to leave your office chair to do! Our focus is on NO EXCUSES!
3-Minute Posture Break:
Shoulder Rolls: 10 forward 10 back
Elbow Touches: 20
Foot Circles: 10 in each direction (internal, external, point and flex)
Arm Circles: 20 forward 20 backward
Active Military: 10
Gluteal Contractions: 20
Seated Hip Stretch: 20 seconds per leg
Also, try to enable a 20/20/20 rule in your workday. Every 20 minutes take a 20-second break and look at something 20ft away from your computer screen.
4 Tips to Better Desk Posture:
Eyes: The computer screen should be just below eye level and 18-24 inches away.
Arms: Your forearms should comfortably rest on the desktop, no shrugging of shoulders or arching of wrists to reach for the keyboard.
Back: Use a lumbar support chair, with a 2degree tilt forward ensuring the back of your thighs isn't on the chair edge.
Feet: Your thighs should be parallel with the floor and shins perpendicular to the floor ensuring flat feet on the ground!
