LOOKING FOR LONGEVITY – 4 Steps to Getting the Setup at your Desk Correct
One of the most common things that lead to bodily pain and discomfort is the way we sit. Our bodies were not designed to sit for extended periods of time. Humanity used to be far more active, which helped keep the body in check and functioning properly. The hours of sitting at a desk, which is how most of us spend our day, is detrimental to our physical wellbeing and is killing us. You must remember movement is life.
So sitting badly is decreasing our quality of life and taking years from us.
Doc Josh is going to take you through 4 of the most beneficial steps to get the set-up at your desk correct.
How NOT to sit
Don’t lean with your elbows on your desk. Don’t keep your screen lower than your eye level. Stop yourself from leaning forward. Sitting incorrectly like this causes pressure on your shoulders and neck, which can lead to neck pain and headaches.
How TO sit:
Step 1 – Get your base right – Watch this video (post link) to learn how to correct your sitting base. This is the foundation to good sitting ergonomics at your desk. If you get this wrong then rest of your set up will be difficult to correct and will ultimately lead to pain and discomfort.
Step 2 – Lift armrests up to be in line with the table. This will allow you to shift your arms backwards and keep your elbows in line with your shoulders. Please note that changing your armrest to the correct height is extremely vital to remove the tension on your upper traps, shoulders and neck. This height varies from person to person as we all have different length torsos.
Step 3 – Lift screen height so that your eyes are in line with the top 3rd of your screen and an arm’s length away with fingertips touching. This will prevent you from dropping your chin and pulling your head forward to try and chase the screen.
Step 4 – Bring the keyboard forward to be directly under your hands while your arms are resting on the armrests and your elbows are directly under your shoulders.
You are now in an ergonomically neutral position. If you have followed all four steps correctly you should be able to see a line running perpendicular from your ear to your shoulder, elbow and hip bone.
