I’ve been doing desk work at a computer since 2002. By 2011, my computer posture was poor and my body was broken. Working in the same vulnerable, poor posture caused a lot of computer-related pain. It also caused long-term issues like low energy, decreased work productivity, and lack of mental clarity.
Ever since 2011, I’ve taken full accountability for my bad computer posture. I’ve learned as many ergonomic office tips possible. Everything I write about is directly related to how good, or bad, our computer posture is.
When I got my degree in Information Technology, ergonomics was a topic that interested me. That’s probably because I’ve been an athlete since I was young. The combination of these 2 backgrounds led me to start this website and write a book. I wanted to solve a real-life problem of mine, which was computer-related pain caused by poor posture. I also wanted to document what I’ve learned, on my website and in my book, so other people could learn from my mistakes.
This article is about my book titled, 45 Ways to Improve Computer Posture. I wrote it for the part-time athlete who sits at a computer full-time. My book is the computer ergonomics guide I wish I had many years ago, when I first started sitting at a computer for 8 hours a day, long-term.
This article is not professional medical advice. It’s based off my personal experience and opinions. For years, my poor computer posture caused muscle tension, inflammation, and chronic pain. Bad posture also decreased my mental clarity, energy level, and work productivity.
All the office ergonomic tips I write about are directly related to improving posture at a computer. We are our own primary caretakers. Do your research. Make good decisions. And be the best advocate possible for your own healthcare.
Computer Posture Book
45 Ways to Improve Computer Posture
As an athlete, I was always interested in physical self-improvement. How could I be better at a sport? How could I be more effective? I was always looking at the high performers to learn as much as I could. As an adult, I’ve carried this mentality into writing my computer ergonomics book.
To improve sitting posture at work, it’s going to take a well-rounded wellness approach. Good posture doesn’t just take place at our computer desk. Our healthy habits we practice 24 hours a day contribute to improving your posture at a computer.
“I wrote this book to be the resource I wish I had in 2002, when I first started sitting at a computer for long periods of time.”
-Todd Bowen, Author of “45 Ways to Improve Computer Posture”
In addition to good computer posture, my book talks about different health variables like hydration, sleep quality, and breathing exercises.
Hydration is a crucial practice because the right amount of quality drinking water is directly related to how good our posture is. Sleep quality is important because the earlier in the day we get tired, the quicker our computer posture suffers. And breathing exercises have given me health benefits such as decreased stress, increased lung capacity, and increased blood flow.
Together, the health benefits from all these variables has been a force multiplier that’s decreased my computer-related pain significantly.
This book covers both sitting posture and working at a standing desk. Because in my opinion, there isn’t one single best posture for long hours at a computer. Sitting posture isn’t the only enemy. Working long-term in the same compromised, vulnerable position is the enemy.
Even perfect posture will still cause repetitive strain and overuse injuries after long periods of time. Our goal is to decrease those risks. That’s why it’s important to have more than one ergonomic workspace setup. I switch back and forth between sitting posture and a standing desk multiple times a day.
My main motivation for improving sitting posture at work was to decrease computer-related pain. One of my most important goals was to reduce back pain from sitting. Another priority was to prevent computer neck pain. Surprisingly, making one simple change to my ergonomic workspace setup corrected both my back pain and my neck pain.
I finally realized that my neck and back pain were caused by my monitor screen being too low. After raising it to the proper computer screen height, it made a world of difference quickly. All of a sudden, I wasn’t slouching forward as much. I also wasn’t suffering from eye strain anymore. Raising the top of my monitor screen to eye level was an office ergonomic tip that improved my posture in a big way. I talk about this more in-depth in my book.
Preventing computer wrist pain was another goal on my list. Wrist pain from typing is commonly known as carpal tunnel syndrome. The posture mistake I was making had to do with the height of my keyboard and mouse. I was using tall, bulky devices that caused me to activate and extend my wrist muscles in order to lift my hands onto the keyboard and mouse. Once I switched to a flat, low-profile keyboard and mouse, my wrist pain from typing went away in just a few days. It was pretty eye-opening how one simple ergonomic change can improve computer posture so quickly.
In addition to this keyboard and mouse posture technique, I talk about many other office ergonomics tips in my book.
Go to SittingPosture.com/book to pick up your copy.
It’s available in both ebook and paperback.
3 Ways to Improve Computer Posture Immediately!
If you’d like to test drive my book “45 Ways” before buying it, you can download the first 9 pages for free. These 9 pages make up my free ebook titled 3 Ways to Improve Computer Posture Immediately!
My ebook “3 Ways” is always free. It talks about the 3 most painful, poor posture mistakes I used to make while sitting at a computer for long periods of time. Then, it tells you how to fix those posture mistakes, immediately!
>>> Click here to download your free copy
This ebook is a great supplement to the article you just read. In this ebook, you’ll learn 3 of the most painful, poor computer posture mistakes. Then, you’ll learn how to fix those mistakes immediately with 3 simple changes to your ergonomic workspace setup.
Go to SittingPosture.com/ebook to learn more.
Take care,
Todd Bowen
THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST IN COMPUTER POSTURE.
If you’ve read this far, congratulations! You’re taking valuable steps to reduce computer-related injuries by improving your posture. That’s something to be very proud of!
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Take care,
Todd Bowen