Insights To Get You Moving

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If you sit at a desk most of the day, chances are you have experienced some sort of pain in your neck and shoulders. Proper posture is critical in reducing neck, shoulder and low back pain. This common pain is a result of poor posture and gravity pulling you down all day long. Our society is becoming increasingly more sedentary, and our bodies are paying the price. For example, you commute to work, you sit at your desk for a good portion of the day, you then get back into your car to go home,  you sit down for dinner, and then sit some more and watch television. Sound familiar? Often times you might be too engrossed in your work to “remember” to get up. Set a reminder in your calendar or on your phone for every hour to get up and move around, in addition you can use this time to do some stretching, your body will thank you! The following tips can help you inside and outside of the workplace.

THREE WORKPLACE TIPS TO AVOID DAILY “DESK PAIN” {FROM POOR POSTURE}:

1. Pay attention to your posture. Make it a habit to reset your posture throughout the day. You will notice as the day goes on you may start to slump in your chair and disengage your abdominal muscles putting more strain on your lower back. The more you lean back in the chair the more susceptible you may be to having to reach for your computer mouse or keyboard which leads to arm, shoulder, and increased back or neck pain. To help set yourself up for success in maintaining better posture all day long, you need to adjust your workstation for optimal ergonomic productivity. Click here to find out how to position your chair, monitor, mouse and more! Get double use out of these tips and apply them to your office at home!
2. Just get up! Next, get up out of that seated position at least once an hour. Get up to get a drink of water, use the restroom, fire someone…anything.
3. Now it’s time to find a corner and stretch. As your shoulders round, the muscles in the front of the chest (pectoralis major) become very tight. Stretching will help to straighten out your posture and relieve any tightness and potential pain. Hold a comfortable stretch in the corner for about 20 seconds. Relax. Do it two more times for a total of three. Stretching can be done several times a day. Remember, being comfortable is the key. Don’t force the stretch.  You should feel the stretch in your chest and maybe in the front of your shoulder, nowhere else. {see exhibit below}

       The perfect corner stretch:

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