I started my career at a computer desk in 2002. That’s when I first worked in sitting posture for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. By 2011, my computer posture was terrible and my body was broken. I’ve been an athlete all my life. But the damage caused by sitting at a computer was very hard to accept physically.
That year (2011), I’d had enough. I decided I was going to learn as much as I could about what causes poor computer posture. And I was going to adopt every possible healthy habit that would improve my computer posture. I would quickly learn that good computer posture doesn’t only happen while we’re physically at our computer desk. Other ergonomic variables that directly affect our computer posture are sleep quality, hydration, nutrition, and breathing.
I’m writing this article to show samples of the desk posture tips I share in my Computer Posture Newsletter. My email newsletter is free. And you can always unsubscribe easily by clicking one button at the bottom of any of my emails. Click here to sign up.
Nothing in this article is 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. All the workplace 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.
Office Ergonomics: The Optimal Computer Posture Newsletter
I created my free newsletter to be the resource I wish I had back in 2002, when I first started sitting at a computer desk for long periods of time. If I had to start over and improve sitting posture at work again, these are the first steps I would take.
Ergonomic workspace setup
The most important variables of an ergonomic workspace setup are elbow level and eye level. If these 2 variables are at the correct height, a lot of poor computer posture problems will fall into place. The 2 rules below explain the correct height of elbow level and eye level. They are both valid regardless if we are working in a sitting posture or at a standing posture workstation.
don’t let Elbow height fall below desk level
I always make sure my elbow level is slightly higher than my keyboard and mouse. This reduces the amount of repetitive strain on my biceps.
I used to sit with my elbow level below my desk level. In order to place my hands on my keyboard and mouse, I had to activate my biceps to lift my hands up over the desk. This poor posture mistake caused overused biceps. The bicep muscles are connected to tendons, which connect to bone in the shoulder area. When my bicep muscles got tight, the pulled on those tendons too much. This caused overuse of my tendons, inflammation, and chronic shoulder pain. Even though the problem was caused in my biceps, the effect of that pain was felt in my shoulders.
This can all be avoided by making sure that elbow level is slightly higher than keyboard, mouse, and desk level. If your desk can’t be lowered to meet this height, raise your office chair. If your chair doesn’t go high enough, either get a new chair that does, or get a new adjustable computer desk that can be lowered.
keep Eye level even with the top of the monitor screen
I used to sit with my computer monitor way too low. I had to look down at an excessive angle to see my screen. This poor posture mistake causes increased risk of neck strain. The muscles on the back of the neck get overextended. The muscles on the front of the neck get compressed. All of the neck muscles are overused and they get tight. Especially when we hold our neck in this compromised position for 8 hours a day.
To prevent this poor computer posture mistake, I always make sure my eye level is even with the top of the monitor screen. I either raise my monitor or I raise my desk. But, I don’t raise my desk if it will drop my elbow below desk level. In that case, the only option is to raise my monitor.
Keeping eye level even with the top of the monitor screen is the best way to prevent computer neck pain and reduce eye strain from computer use. This good posture habit also helped me sit with my torso more upright. This allows me to maintain the natural curves in my spine.
If I’m looking down at something (like a monitor screen), I have a natural tendency to slouch forward and downward. This means, maintaining the correct eye level with my monitor screen also gave me some computer-related back pain relief that was caused by slouching forward.
Stretches for long hours at a computer
door stretch
My favorite stretch to do after long hours at a computer is called a door stretch. It reverses the negative effects of holding a keyboard and mouse for 8 hours a day. It’s a great way to relieve muscle tension in the shoulders. It also decreases our excessive internal shoulder rotation from holding the keyboard and mouse for long periods of time.
how To do the door stretch:
- Stand just outside a standard doorway.
- Raise your arms up until your elbows are even with your shoulders.
- Your hands are in the air higher than your head.
- Your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
- Your forearms are perpendicular to the floor.
- You rest your elbows on the door frame.
- Finally, move your feet carefully towards the doorway to intensify the stretch.
reverse door stretch
I came up with this stretch myself. You probably won’t find the term “reverse door stretch” anywhere else. It essentially has the same health benefits as a regular door stretch, but it’s less intense. And your body is in a much more relaxed position. It allows me to hold the stretch longer, which is a good thing when the intensity is lower.
An intense door stretch can be very helpful. But a light intensity, long duration stretch like a reverse door stretch has helped me improve my good computer posture even more. Light intensity, meaning no weight involved. Long duration, meaning the stretch lasted for multiple minutes. I like to shoot for around 5 minutes per reverse door stretch.
how To do the reverse door stretch:
- Lay flat on the floor with arms close by your sides.
- Bend your elbows while you slide your hands on the floor upward above your head.
- Stop when your elbow is at a 90 degree angle.
- I simply hold this position for 5 minutes at a time, while really focusing on breathing deeply.
I like to get in this position when I’m practicing my breath work. It’s basically getting 2 good computer posture habits done at the same time. Plus, both give me better results when I combine them. This reverse door stretch is my favorite way to reduce shoulder tension from typing and using a mouse for 8 hours a day.
Use a steel mace: ergonomic exercises for office workers
Stretching tight muscles in the opposite direction of poor computer posture is important. But I’ve learned that we also need to build strength in the opposite direction of our overused, poor posture caused by sitting at a computer. My favorite way to do this resistance training is to use a steel mace.
A steel mace is kind of similar to a kettlebell. But instead of having a handle, the weight is at the end of a short, thick, barbell-style rod.
Sitting at a computer for long periods of time, 8 hours a day, puts an incredible amount of stress on my chest. Slouching forward causes all my chest muscles to shorten and tighten. Using my steel mace is a very dynamic chest opener that counteracts all of that pressure on the front of my torso.
Side note:
This is not paid promotion. I’m not compensated by Onnit. I paid for their product with my own money. And I enjoy sharing products that’ve helped improve my computer posture.
This video is me doing one of my favorite steel mace exercises (with an Onnit 10 pound steel mace).
Since the weight on a steel mace is at the end of a short barbell, it’s far away from my hands. The momentum generated when swinging a steel mace is much more intense compared to swinging a kettlebell. The health benefits I get from using the steel mace are improved thoracic spine rotation and chest opening.
The steel mace pictured is made by Onnit. I bought 3 different sizes (7 pounds, 10 pounds, and 15 pounds).
What Steel Mace I Use
I bought the 10 pound mace first. It was a little heavy for me as a first-time user. I could do it, but my movements were very slow. So, I bought a 7 pound mace to get used to the movements. Using the 7 pound steel mace increased my speed a lot. At that point, I was ready to use the 10 pounder again. The 10 pound mace is the one I use the most these days. I also added the 15 pound Onnit steel mace to my collection.
This video is another one of my favorite steel mace exercises (also using the Onnit 10 pound steel mace).
The above video is a similar exercise, but with a modification at the end. I like both of these exercises because they are unique ways to improve thoracic spine rotation. Also, when the weight goes over my head and behind me, that’s when it works as a great chest opener. This is important because it helps counteract the anterior compression from slouching forward at a computer for long periods of time. Sitting at a computer for 8 hours a day adds up quickly. The muscle tension and lack of blood flow in the front of my torso used to be one of my biggest poor posture problems caused by a computer.
There are tons of different steel mace workouts available on YouTube. I still consider myself a novice, so I won’t explain how to do any exercises. I just wanted to introduce the steel mace to my readers since it has given me the ability to hit different muscles in ways I’ve never hit them with traditional strengthening exercises. It really has been a game changer in improving my computer posture.
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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!
If you liked this article about my Computer Posture Newsletter, check out my free ebook titled 3 Ways to Improve Computer Posture 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 computer desk setup.
Go to SittingPosture.com/ebook to learn more.
Take care,
Todd Bowen