Sitting all day is bad for your health. It causes your muscles to become inactive and reduces the number of calories you burn per minute, even when you are sitting with good posture! Most of us don’t sit with good posture. We sit with our legs crossed, hunched over our keyboards while intently staring at our screens. Poor posture can lead to chronic pain and a shorter lifespan.
Greatist recently spoke to Alyx Brown, a chiropractor at Manhattan’s Urban Wellness Clinic, and created this graphic which shows the best way to sit at your desk according to ergonomics.
- Computer monitor and eyes – your eyes should be in line with the area of the screen you focus on the most. Looking down at your screen puts excess strain on your neck, which can lead to cervical disc herniation, cervical strains, and headaches.
- Desk items – anything you constantly use should be within a foot of you.
- Arms – keep your arms at a 90-degree angle in a nice, neutral resting position to prevent shoulder injuries and chronic upper back pain. The more you stretch your arms, the more your shoulders begin to rotate forward causing you to lose strength in your upper back.
- Back – your back should be in a comfortable position with a small curve in the lumbar spine where your natural lower back is. If not properly supported, the back can develop too much of a curve in the opposite direction, leaving the lower back at risk for disc herniation and chronic postural lower back sprains and strains.
- Legs and feet – crossing your legs or not having your feet flat on the floor puts a lot of unnecessary stress on the large supportive muscles and hampers blood flow.
- Vertical alignment – with every inch you lean or reach forward the spine feels like it supporting an extra 10 pounds, thereby straining your muscles.
Serious injuries or chronic pain caused by poor posture are preventable with small changes. Ideal posture is rarely the most comfortable way to sit. But, if you keep working at it, it will feel more natural.
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