The COVID-19 pandemic forced many organizations to implement containment measures, including remote working and schooling. If you've been working from home, you might start experiencing physical discomfort. Examples are a sore back and neck, headaches, and stiffness. Others are shoulder, hip, knee, tendon, and ankle pain. Most of them are attributable to changes in body posture after transitioning from the office workstation.
How to Make Posture Adjustments While Working From Home
Working from home is convenient because it provides a variety of sitting options. Although you might prefer performing tasks from the couch, kitchen barstool, bed, or floor, it might adversely affect your body.
Fortunately, there are various changes to your home workstation that you can make to improve the situation. They include:
- Try to incorporate voice input as an alternative to typing and mousing to give your wrists a rest. Additionally, keep the two devices close to prevent repeated reaching, which adversely affects your posture.
- While sitting, ensure your feet rest on a flat surface such as a floor or footrest. Dangling feet restrict blood flow to your lower body, which increases the likelihood of deep vein thrombosis.
- Avoid working from your bed or couch because it encourages hunching.
- It's not advisable to sit still for extended periods. Please schedule breaks of about 10 minutes for every hour of work to stretch.
- Buy a hands-free option for making long phone calls to avoid straining your hands and neck.
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Exercises to Improve Your Work from Home Posture
These simple workouts will improve your posture and overall health while working from home:
1. Chin Tucks
While looking straight ahead, slightly move your chin back without tilting up or down. Hold this position for up to 10 seconds, then relax. Repeat this movement up to 10 times.
2. Thoracic Extension
The thoracic spine is the middle part of your back, which facilitates the movement of other body parts. To keep it in optimum shape, lie on your back over a towel roll or foam roller, then maintain the position for up to a minute.
3. Toe and Heel Raises
Sit with your feet on the floor, then alternate between raising your heels and your toes. Repeat up to 20 times.
4. Wall Posture Workout
Stand against the wall and ensure the back of your head, upper back, butt, and heels touch the wall surface. Hold this position for a minute while maintaining a neutral spine, then repeat.
Other beneficial posture exercises include seated pelvic tilts, corner pec stretches, posture drills, hip stretches, and cardiovascular workouts.
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