I sat at a computer desk with poor posture for 10 years until I’d finally had enough. Poor computer posture caused muscle tension, chronic pain, decreased work productivity, and lack of energy.
Once I committed to improving my sitting ergonomics for better health, I was surprised how simple most of the computer posture tips I learned were. It was one thing to learn the best ways to improve posture at the computer. It was another thing to maintain those posture correction tips on a daily basis.
This article will talk about 3 of my favorite methods to improve posture at your computer desk. It’ll talk about how office ergonomics is so much more than just a healthy sitting posture. These are simple posture hacks for office workers that are so easy, you’ll be glad you’re here.
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 desk worker health 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.
3 Simple Tips to Improve Your Posture at the Computer
1. Download my free ebook titled “3 Ways to Improve Computer Posture Immediately!”
My “3 Ways” ebook is always free. It’s a quick, 11 page pdf file. It talks about the 3 most painful computer-related injuries I’ve ever had. It talks about the posture mistakes that caused those injuries. Then, it talks about how I fixed those mistakes, immediately!
It covers the basics of how to sit correctly at a computer desk. It’ll talk about proper monitor height for good posture. Making that one change right there is a great way to prevent neck and back pain while using a computer.
It’ll also tell you how to find the correct elbow height compared to your desk level. I used to sit with my chair way too low, which meant I had my elbow height too low. This caused me to constantly contract my biceps (8 hours a day) to lift my hands up onto my desk, keyboard, and mouse. This constant activation of the biceps caused excessive internal shoulder rotation. This took a lot of work for me to correct. However, the first step is very important, yet very simple. And you can learn about it in this free ebook.
Finally, this ebook will talk about correct foot positioning for computer work. Surprisingly, yes this definitely matters. My incorrect foot position caused me to constantly contract my hamstrings (for 8 hours a day). This constant muscle activation led to repetitive strain, overuse, and joint dysfunction throughout my knees and ankles.
Click here to download your free copy.
2. Avoid slouching at your desk, but don’t sit up “too straight.” Instead, maintain an upright torso with a neutral, balanced spine.
We all know that slouching forward at our computer desk is a poor posture habit. But a lesser known posture mistake is sitting up “too straight.”
What happens if we sit up “too straight?” We could easily flatten out the lumbar curve in our lower spine. This would likely set off a chain reaction throughout the rest of the spine, also losing the natural curves in the thoracic (mid) and cervical (upper) spine. Sitting without the spine’s natural curves, for long periods of time, can cause spinal disc degeneration.
Once we learn how to maintain an upright torso, with the natural curves of our spine intact, it will help reduce current back pain while sitting. It’ll also help avoid computer-related back pain in the future.
3. Learn the difference between posture and ergonomics.
Posture is the position we hold our bodies in. Ergonomics is the study of people’s efficiency in the workplace. Proper posture at the computer is only one variable of sitting ergonomics for better health.
Despite posture being the most important ergonomic variable, others are also very important. I like to define ergonomics as any healthy habit that’s related to proper posture at the computer.
For example, sleep quality is definitely a part of my computer ergonomics practice. The lesser my sleep quality is at night, the earlier I get tired the next day. The earlier I get tired, the sooner my computer posture suffers.
Another example is hydration. The more time I spend dehydrated, the more my muscles tense up. The tighter my muscles are, the more damage I’ll do to my body with repetitive strain and overuse from working on a computer for long periods of time.
To learn more ergonomic posture tips, check out my book titled 45 Ways to Improve Computer Posture.
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 simple tips to improve your posture at the computer, check out my book titled 45 Ways to Improve Computer Posture.
This book is a great supplement to the article you just read. It covers healthy ergonomic habits like posture, sleep, hydration, and breathing.
I wrote this book to be the resource I wish I had back in 2002, when I first started sitting at a computer for long periods of time.
Go to SittingPosture.com/book to learn more.
Take care,
Todd Bowen