Ensuring you have the best work posture is important not only for your long-term health but also for getting the best out of yourself and ensuring maximum productivity at work and at home.
There is growing evidence that sitting and sedentary behaviour are negatively associated with health outcomes independent of physical activity outside of work hours. (Proper et. al. 2001) This suggests that increasing the amount of active time at work may help to improve these health outcomes.
How can you do this?
Get Moving!
Take regular breaks away from your desk and get up and move around throughout the day. This is important to reducing metabolic or cardiovascular disease.
TIP: Stand up when you’re on the phone or use your phone/watch/email alerts to remind you to take a walk and refill your glass of water.
Also, for the month of September 2017 you can join our Step into Spring challenge and win weekly prizes just by taking a walk. Click here to find out more.
Exercise!
Break up your work day with exercise! Exercise helps to reduce the effects of prolonged sitting and improve some common aches and pains as a result of poor posture. This could be a brisk walk around the block a PT session or a stretching session in a quiet place in the office and can take as a little as 10 minutes.
TIP: Hold your meetings off-site in a cafe or park so you can walk to and from the meeting location to incorporate exercise into your busy day.
Correct Posture!
Correct posture minimizes the strain on the human body by maintaining balance of the muscles and skeleton. This balanced musculoskeletal state protects the support breaking structures in the body and prevents damage or progressive deformation in all positions, including standing, lying down, and sitting
TIP: Check your work space. Are you able to sit comfortably with a straight spine? Not be leaning forward, backwards, left or right?
Some of the signs of poor posture can include:
- Headaches
- Neck Pain
- Reduced concentration
- Decrease in productivity
- Muscular Pain
If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms, we recommend:
- Taking the time to check your work space
- Improve your posture
- Complete our series of stretches below
- Book a consultation with our professional team.
HENLEY BEACH – 08 8235 1922
NORWOOD – 08 8363 5773
NORMANVILLE – 08 8558 3834
WORK STRETCHES
Neck Posture
Deep neck flexor activation: tongue on roof of mouth tuck chin directly back towards cervical spine picture to demonstrate
Lengthen the back of your neck from the base of your skull to your shoulders, do this by drawing your chin straight back towards your neck
Hands by your sides elbows straight palms facing forward stretch, your hands down and away from your body, relaxing your shoulders creating length along the shoulder seam of your shirt.
Chest Stretch
Straddle the threshold of a doorway right leg through, left behind, place right arm on the outside of the door frame with your hand placed over the top corner of the frame, rest your forearm against the frame, shift your weight forwards through the door onto your right leg to stretch your right pec hold for 30-60 seconds and repeat on the opposite side.
Posture Correction Device
Posture correction device: commonly called a posture pole is a foam roller that you lay along the length of from the base of your skull to your tailbone. Hang arms off the sides with palms facing up. You are able to double up with exercises here and work on deep neck flexor activation at the same time
TIP
Download an App to your Smart Phone, Tablet or Watch that includes reminders to get moving or you can install ‘Sit Right’ to your computer which you will prompt throughout your work day to get up and move around.
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