Working can hurt.
Sitting for hours on end, hardly moving, adopting a bad posture, putting up with suboptimal furniture – we are often so focused on our to-do list at work every day that we neglect our health. In doing so, we risk chronic backache and headaches, which significantly impair our quality of life –not to mention our ability to work efficiently. Yet even small measures can have a big impact. The key is to maintain a good posture and stay flexible!
Our posture is the key to better – or perhaps worse – physical and general well-being. Those who spend the entire day typing away at a desk would do well to undertake a detailed review of their own seating position and then optimise it. Otherwise, they may run the risk of developing postural defects and other associated disorders. Among the Swiss population, for instance, muscle tension, particularly due to sitting at a desk incorrectly or for too long, is the most frequent cause of backache – and the case numbers have steadily risen over the past ten years. The problem has been further exacerbated by the fact that we have been increasingly working from home in recent months. After all, not everybody has a perfectly equipped office and some people even find themselves working at the kitchen table or dining table. Here, too, the sitting position can be significantly improved in many cases.
The correct way
So, how far is the screen away from your eyes? Where exactly are the keyboard and mouse? How high is your chair? Are your feet touching the floor? You should ask yourself these and many other questions as soon as possible and organise your workspace accordingly. Below is a guide with the ten most essential steps for a healthy, ergonomic sitting position.
- When sitting, your back should be in contact with the backrest of the chair.
- Use the entire seating surface of the chair.
- Sit as upright as possible.
- Position the monitor roughly at arm’s length from your face – and at a height that allows you to look slightly down on it.
- Your lower and upper legs should be at an angle of at least 90 degrees when sitting.
- Rest your lower arms on the desk.
- Your lower and upper arms should be at an angle of at least 90 degrees.
- Tilt your pelvis slightly forward.
- Make sure that your feet are firmly touching floor to take the strain off your legs and back.
- Be conscious of your posture.
Get moving!
Just as important as an ergonomic sitting position are the breaks you take from sitting correctly. To make your working day as healthy as possible, you should stand up for around ten minutes per hour and walk around for five minutes. For the benefit of your health and especially your back, make a habit of incorporating more exercise into your working day.
Change your work location
It helps, of course, if your office has various spaces and working zones. This allows you to change your location depending on the task at hand and perhaps also develop ideas while standing up. Or maybe walk around while making a phone call. In addition, make a conscious decision to get a glass of water from the cafeteria every hour. Organise your office material in a way that forces you to keep on getting up from your desk. Meet colleagues at a high table to discuss a project. And have a good stretch from time to time. This gets the circulation going, extends the muscles and encourages blood flow. You will see that not only your body benefits, but also your mind.
You like to move it, move it?
Then why not book your new office space right now! Spoom has everything you need to stay on the move at work – and feel really good. Creative brainstorming spaces and stylish meeting zones for networking and taking relaxed breaks. It provides the ideal infrastructure for everyone, from the start-up to the large-scale enterprise. And best of all, everything comes at an attractive office flat rate and with flexible terms starting at just one month. Easily bookable online. Even today, if you want to. Time to get going! Test it now, take a seat and start working. See you Spoom!
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