Tips on Keeping Healthy When on Computers

Whether  at work, home, school or on the go, many of us are spending long periods of our day sitting or on the computer. This can be a major contributor to back pain as this static posture can increase the stress to the back, neck, arms and legs. To address this issue, maintaining a better computer posture and ensuring an ergonomic work- station is essential. 

Optimal posture implies that your bones are in alignment and your muscles, joints, and ligaments are working as they should. Both sitting and standing for long periods of time will put stress on your body and fatigue your postural muscles. Taking frequent breaks is a great way to reset  your posture and prevent long term issues; ideally every 20 minutes. These breaks can be a short duration and still productive as we can use these breaks to switch tasks or simply alternate from sitting to standing.

While at your work station you should focus on maintaining an upright posture with your head positioned in line with your shoulders and hips. Your chair should be comfortable and allow you to sit straight with your arms relaxed at your side and wrists at a 90 degree angle to your keyboard. The height of your chair should have your thighs horizontal to the floor and your feet resting in a flat position. Additionally, your wrists should be in a flat position and eyes lined up to the upper third of the screen.