1. Don't sit for more than 4 hours at a time. Even that is way too much. Better yet, try to get up every hour for about three to five minutes from your desk. Walk around, get some water, stretch...just so you're not sitting hunched over for hours at a time. Trust me I've done it, I know. I took a flight from Thailand to Japan, six hours, and Japan to Chicago, twelve hours. I didn't get up once on my flight from Japan to Chicago, twelve hours. I regretted that most dearly to say the least. For the next three weeks after I got back, my left glute was so darn tight, I couldn't walk normally. It took stretching three times a day for three weeks for it to get better....so yeah....don't make the same mistake I did.
2. Stick A Pillow or Rolled Up Towel Between Your Lower Back and the Chair. I've always had lower back issues. I used to commute by driving from Kenosha to Chicago every day for six months. Within twenty-five minutes of driving my lower back would start to hurt bad. So I rolled up a towel, held it together with rubber bands and stuck it behind my lower back in the car while driving. It helped me a lot. I still had some pain, but not nearly as much. You can do this in your car or at your desk at the office. It's a great way to add some lumber support to your back. 3. Pectoral or Chest Stretches Are One of the Best Things You Can Do For Your Back So you're sitting all day at the desk. Gravity takes it toll on your sitting posture and you begin to slouch and hunch over...just like everyone else. So your chest in front gets closed off from the hunching and rounded shoulders...and in the back, your back is hunching over, thus being lengthened and overstretched. So if you work on opening up the chest...that would help the back to go from a lengthened state back to it's neutral position, thus reducing pain and discomfort. One of my favorite stretches to open up the chest: Find a big bouncy ball...and then lay on your back on the ball. Let your arms fall to the sides and feel a great stretching in the pectoralis major, i.e. chest muscles. Do this for one to two minutes a day, at least three days a week, better to do it everyday. Try it, it should help a lot. 4. Get a Standing Desk Standing desks can be a great way to help prevent you from sitting slouched all day in a chair at a desk. Although I personally, due to my lower back, I can't stand for long periods of time. So I recommend standing for thirty to forty-five minutes, then sitting for thirty minutes. I like alternating. I understand this could be a bit distracting though and could take away from productivity. Play with it and see what works for you. 5. Do Yoga When you sit all day, your spine is in a flexed position. Everything is forward. The great thing about yoga is that it gets you moving in ways that stretch the spine in different directions. Such as upward dog - putting your spine in extension. Most people can't move their spine into extension very much, it's very limited. Even for me, I can't do tummy time for more than a few minutes, it gets uncomfortable and starts to hurt pretty quickly. That's why it's so important for mothers to get their babies to do "Tummy Time" a few minutes either every hour or every day. It develops the lower back muscles, which if not strengthened, would cause the body to become very imbalanced. Well, there you go. A few tips for those who sit at a computer and/or desk all day for work. Hope you find these tips helpful. Let me know if you found this valuable in any way. Cheers, Alex S.
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Alex StampflLicensed Massage therapist (LMT) and Certified Personal Trainer (CPT). Archives
August 2022
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