Every person wants to be healthier and happier. However, it can be quite difficult to achieve this when you are stuck behind a desk for many hours. There are various ways to stay healthy when you sit a lot at your computer. These changes often seem to be very challenging, so that it’s hard to incorporate them permanently as you are always distracted by meetings, emails, texts, heavy workloads, and deadlines.
Let’s be honest: everybody wants to be healthy and we also want it to be as simple and easy as possible. Here are some great ideas on how to improve your overall physical and mental well-being while having to sit at the desk long hours.
Look Again at Your Monitor
Dr. Jim Sheedy from the Vision Performance Institute at Pacific University states that the top of your monitor should be level with your eyes. So, it’s time to ask your recruiter for a pay raise if your computer screen is planted directly on your desktop. The perfect place for your eyes is to be about 10 degrees higher than the monitor.
If your monitor is placed higher or lower, people usually adapt to it by moving their head up or down. Therefore, if your monitor is situated too low, your head will move down, leading to back and neck aches. At the same time, high screens result in dry eye syndrome.
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How to Improve Poor Posture
The majority of office-based workers experience poor posture. People who sit at the computer screen all day long get drawn into it, which means they crane their necks forward. Such imbalance leads to hyper tension and strain on the spine and neck. Some doctors compare it to holding a bowling ball with only one hand. Holding your arm vertically results in less strain on the arm muscles, but if you lean the ball forward, your arm muscles will have to compensate to keep it above.
The same way our head acts like a bowling ball, so the doctors recommend practicing making double chin or chin retractions in order to keep the neck and spine lined up underneath. This exercise is considered to be one of the best and most effective single exercises for the neck and upper back.
Consider Investing In a Standing Desk
The modern workplace is all about sitting. However, the ability to stand was discovered millions of years ago. Why don’t you buck the office trends and get a standing desk or a sit-stand workstation? The recent survey held by the University of Minnesota shows that sit-stand workstations are useful at helping people replace 25 percent of their sitting time with standing up, which can lead to decreasing the fatigue and increasing their sense of well being.
Move It
Aren’t attracted by the idea of getting a sit-stand workstation? Do you want more action? Then stop sitting and start walking. Many modern offices are equipped with treadmill desks, which may be a healthy alternative to sitting or standing. In addition, you will be able to burn more calories and get some exercise. Even if you don’t have the opportunity to do sport at work, there is always a way to move and work in different positions.