If you constantly sit behind a computer or laptop to work, you should be looking into the best possible ways to stay healthy whilst spend most of your productive years behind a desk. Even when you are not stuck behind a desk all day, there is the possibility that you will sometimes work from home.
What is the most comfortable way to work from the office or in the comfort of your home? Here are some tips on maintaining good ergonomics and staying comfortable whilst you work from wherever you have chosen works best for you.
These tips and experiences were shared by redditors in response to the question on Reddit.
1. Standing for two hours, sitting down for another two. Repeat until the end of the day. I have scoliosis and working at a desk all day is fucking horrible so I have to stand up and walk some of the time. Yes, I’m that weird guy in the office pacing around while reading reports.
2. Sitting for long periods is one of the reasons people have mobility issues (e.g. tight hamstrings from much of your weight being on top of them for long periods during the day). Laying down all day isn’t great for you either, but it’s not bad to have in the rotation. I try to rotate between sitting, standing, laying down, and walking.
3. The key is to not remain in one position the whole day. We all ruined our posture already during many years in school. Aim to vary your posture throughout the day.
I mainly use a desk and office chair. More often I switch to a swissball to strengthen the back and avoid slouching.
I additionally have a small IKEA Lack table that I can put on top of my desk to make an impromptu standing desk on which I can place my laptop. I had to cut a few inches off of two the legs to make it perfectly angled and match my height).
Additionally I can put the Lack table on the floor to work on sitting cross legged from time to time. If I have reading to do I usually lay down more comfortably on a bed or sofa.
4. The danger of all those hours in front of a computer, where your barely move and focus on your work is that you get unaware of your posture. Your shoulders hunch forward to reach the keyboard, you upper back gets bended forward and most likely you slipped down on the chair “for comfort”, putting high pressure on your glutes and rounding your lower-back in addition, putting heavy loads on your spine.
5. As someone who works the occasional 12-14 hour days I cannot stress how important good sitting posture is, so much so that I went to physical therapy because of it though exacerbated by other issues too. Get a good chair that provides comfort and support in the right areas.
Sit in something for a few minutes to help you settle in and determine what 12 hours of this seat would feel like. Make sure the arm and chair heights are correct for you. Have your hip higher than your knees and never tuck your feet under your knees. I’m rambling but all very important to avoid dying your body by sitting. Which feels absurd to say but is a real issue by desk work.
6. If you are serious about your health, get a table that can adjust height, so that you can stand and work, when you feel like it. Also, get a good chair, and look up on some articles on how you should sit and adjust your equipment. At work i have an all adjustable setup, and it’s awesome.
7. Desks that can rise up so you can sit or stand at them. So awesome. If you have active people that walk around all day, the standing position is terrific.
You can join the discussion on Reddit here.