Computer posture can be a very boring and painful topic. I try to create content that is open-minded, relatable, and actionable. I talk about good computer posture habits that have helped me live a higher quality, sedentary lifestyle.
By improving our computer posture, the specific goals of my website are to help the user:
- decrease computer-related pain
- increase energy
- improve mental clarity
- increase work productivity
99% of the content I write is free of cost. Everything I write relates to improving computer posture. Feel free to share this article with a friend or family member who sits at a computer for a living. The more people that see my content, I more ability it gives me to create more. Thank you very much for your support.
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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. 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.
A little about my background, I’m a lifelong athlete. I played basketball, baseball, and volleyball growing up. As far as exercise, I enjoy lifting weights, running, swimming, and yoga.
I graduated in 2001 with a degree in Information Technology. The classes I found most interesting were about computer ergonomics. This is probably because of my athletic background. I took the most human, physical aspect of using a computer and resonated with that the most.
My Journey
In 2002, I got a job selling computer software. It was a high-stress, inside sales job. I sat at a computer 8+ hours a day. After work, I would overtrain. I’d lift too much weight and too many reps. On top of all this, I would eat nutrient-deficient fast foods and drink tap water.
By 2011, my computer posture was terrible and my body was broken. I decided to take full accountability for my poor computer posture. I’ve learned as much as I possibly can about computer ergonomics since then.
Ergonomics has to do with anything that relates to a user’s efficiency in their working environment. That are a lot of wellness topics that take place away from our computer desk, that actually helped me improve computer posture. Topics like nutrition, hydration, breathing, and sleep quality. You can find an article I wrote about those ergonomic desk posture tips here.
This article will focus specifically on good posture habits while physically working at a computer. All of these good computer posture habits apply regardless if we’re working in an ergonomic sitting posture or at a standing computer workstation.
Good Computer Posture Habits
Don’t work in the same position for long periods of time.
I usually divide my day in half between sitting and standing. I’ll work in an ergonomic sitting position for 4 hours a day. And I’ll work in an ergonomic standing position for 4 hours a day. But I don’t stay in these positions for 4 hours straight. I will sit for 15 to 30 minutes, then I will stand for 15 to 30 minutes.
Sometimes I will go a little longer than 30 minutes, especially if I’m being productive and creative. As soon as my mental clarity starts to decline due to my physical posture, I take a break. When I get back to my desk, I’ll work in a different position.
Invest in an adjustable desk.
Sitting posture isn’t the only enemy we’re up against. Repetitive strain and overuse injuries are the main enemy. Even if we sit or stand with correct posture, repetitive overuse of the same muscles for long periods of time will still cause damage to our muscle and tendon health.
This is why it’s important for me to have an adjustable desk. I like to switch back and forth between an ergonomic sitting position and ergonomic standing position throughout my day. Standing desk benefits I’ve gotten include improved computer posture, blood flow, muscle health, and joint function. Check out my article titled How to Get Used to a Standing Desk if you’ve never used a standing workstation before.
When using a laptop, use an external monitor whenever possible.
Laptop monitors cause us to look down at an excessive angle. This can cause a chain reaction of bad habits, which leads to our upper body slouching forward. Laptop monitors are also typically small. This used to cause a lot of eye strain and headaches for me. Using an external monitor has helped me prevent computer neck strain.
When using a laptop, use an external keyboard whenever possible.
Laptop keyboards are too small. This causes us to internally rotate our shoulders for long periods of time.
After only a couple years of sitting at a computer, my shoulders stayed stuck in an internally rotated position 24 hours a day. Even when I was away from my computer.
When buying an external keyboard, invest in one that is flat and low-profile.
Don’t use a big bulky keyboard. Those require us to extend our wrist muscles upward in order to lift our fingers high onto the keyboard. Holding this position for long periods of time caused carpel tunnel syndrome in my wrists.
When I switched to a flat keyboard, my wrist pain went away in just a couple days. It was pretty eye-opening. My wrist support for typing was much better on my new flat keyboard. It allowed me to keep my wrists straight. I didn’t have to keep my wrists extended for 8 hours a day anymore, like I had to do with the old bulky, tall keyboard.
Avoid using a laptop mouse whenever possible.
A laptop mouse is placed directly in the center of our body. This may not seem like a big deal, but reaching across our body to click a mouse hundreds of times a day adds up. It causes repetitive strain and overuse that will lead to pain and muscle tension. I experienced chronic issues in my upper back and shoulder on the side I use the mouse on.
Invest in a flat, low-profile external mouse.
This will eliminate having to overextend our upper back and shoulder hundreds of times a day, by reaching for the center of our laptop to click the laptop mouse. It will decrease overuse of the wrist muscles. It will also avoid increased risk of carpel tunnel syndrome.
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 on good computer posture habits, 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