Are You Sitting Correctly While Working From Home?

Mind Your Posture: Are You Sitting Correctly While Working?

People across the globe spend several hours every day sitting at a desk. Neglecting your posture while working from home can often end up in pain. Furthermore, over time, bad posture can lead to a plethora of health problems. So, with so many people working from home, how can you ensure you’re in the best sitting position when you are working?

The Best Sitting Position

Experts recommend a neutral body position when sitting. To find your neutral body position, it’s best to sit comfortably and adjust your joints and hips to sit without strain. If you’re searching for just the right piece of furniture, click used office furniture near me to find ideas for comfy seats and hardscapes to fit your style and body type.

Consider Your Joints

For an ideal sitting position, you’ll need to position your knees, hips, and ankles so they sit slightly more than 90 degrees apart. Also, ensure your knee joints remain at or below your hips. Although it’s tempting to cross your ankles, they should remain in front of your knees rather than tucked under the body or chair.

Often when you work from home, you sit with your knees resting at the edge of the chair. To achieve an ideal, neutral sitting position, move slightly forward and away from the chair in order to keep a few inches between the chair edge and the back of the knee joint.

Another way to maintain an appropriate knee position while sitting is to put three fingers between the back of the knee and the chair’s front edge.

Try it now. If you cannot fit three fingers in this space, your knees are too close to the chair, and not in an ideal sitting position. So, if you can fit more than three fingers, adjust your knee and ankle position.

Position Your Feet

People rarely stop to think about their feet when they are considering their sitting posture. However, your feet play an essential role when positioning your body in an ideal sitting position while working from home. The ideal sitting position has your feet resting flat on the floor. If doing so isn’t comfortable, purchase an elevated footrest and use it. Sometimes lifting your feet on a slight angle alleviates slower back pain. Ideally, your feet should remain flat for a supported sitting posture.

Position Your Upper Body

Most people who work from home assume they need to keep the upper body at a 90-degree angle for a healthy sitting posture. Actually, as long as the body is within 30 degrees of an upright position, experts consider this acceptable. The chair’s lumbar support should sit at the lumbar region of the body, which is roughly just above your waistband.

Ensure the head and spine remain in alignment and keep the upper arms at no more than a 20-degree angle forward. If keeping the upper arms vertical feels more comfortable, don’t hesitate to sit this way. The forearms, in contrast, should be horizontal or at a maximum 20-degree angle. Finally, ensure the elbows remain at an angle of between 90 and 120 degrees. Support the forearms when sitting, and align the wrists and forearms while keeping the wrists straight.

Position the Working Object When Working From Home

It’s best to position the working object  (i.e. your computer or laptop) directly in front of you. Adjust the viewing angle so it sits 10 to 30 degrees below your line of sight. This will help you lower your chin and keep your shoulders down and relaxed. Keep your elbows remain close to your body and tuck in your chin. Check-in with your head, shoulders, and elbows now. See if you can pull your chin back and straighten your positioning. It’s very tempting to bend forward as you look and forward. Self-correcting several times each day can help stave off fatigue, aches, and pains.  It’s best to move your position often while remaining within the above guidelines.

What Sitting Positions To Avoid

To have the best sitting posture while you work from home, avoid crossing your legs.  Crossed legs lead to slouching and this affects your posture and all your joints. Not only does it negatively impact breathing, but it can also lead to unwanted aches and pains as a result. Additionally, you’ll want to avoid bending to the side or forward for similar reasons. Sometimes unsupported bends from a seated position can lead to strains.

One of the best strategies to maintain an ideal sitting position when working from home is to take frequent breaks. Ideally, never sit for more than 50 minutes at a time. To assist yourself, set a timer, or plan a ten-minute break every hour. You will feel better when you take these breaks.

Conclusion

It’s no secret that good posture plays an important role in a person’s overall health and wellness. Furthermore, good sitting posture helps you feel well-balanced. Don’t fear though because if your posture is less than ideal, it’s easy to make small adjustments instantly. As soon as you adjust your posture, joints, lumbar and head position you’ll instantly feel relief. You’ll be glad you did when you see how much better you look and feels. The results are amazing.