Better Posture at Your Computer

Are you developing a hunch back? Would you like to learn perfect posture at your computer? Proper posture is not just about sitting up straight. It is about keeping your head, neck, shoulders, hips and feet aligned properly.

Habits of the Body. Your body knows what proper posture looks like. However, the habits of a lifetime are not easily undone. Your spine, movement and flexibility are all affected by your habits more than they are by specific, isolated periods of time. In order to have better posture, you must not simply straighten up when you remember, but you must remember at all times to keep yourself in alignment. This will begin using back and neck muscles which you have heretofore allowed to go slack. You may feel slightly sore during work for the first day or two, but after that, your developed muscles will keep everything straight without causing soreness.

Placement. Your computer screen must be at eye level. If it is below eye level, then your head tilts forward, your neck sticks forward like a turkey, your back hunches and your center of gravity is thrown off balance. This will happen even if you start out with perfect posture. Your body makes up for the placement of the screen by positioning itself unnaturally.

Your keyboard should be at or below elbow level. If your keyboard is above elbow level, then your wrists will tire, your elbows are unsupported, you do not have proper leverage and you will begin to lean forward. Make sure your keyboard is not too low, or you will strain to reach the keys, but this is rarely the case.

Your chair should be at a comfortable level where you can place both feet on the floor, it does not strain your back to get up and you are not sitting so low that you have to stretch your feet out in front of you. Stretching your feet out leaves your knees unsupported, your hips shift back and your spine arches forward to compensate. Keeping your feet directly below your knees will aid in leg circulation and will help your bottom to not feel so sore after long periods of sitting.

Ergonomic Chair. Be sure you have a chair that fits your body. Some chairs have too much depth and are not suitable for short people. Others have unusable armrests for your body type. Some sit down too low or tilt too far back. Since you will be working for long hours every day, do not force your body to compensate for a faulty chair by twisting and contorting in different ways.

Better posture leads to better circulation. Your body is not being twisted, nerves are not being pinched, and circulation is not cut off. Since you spend so long at your computer every day, be sure to develop proper habits with respect to your body, so that you will not be paying for it later on in doctor bills.

Sources:

http://www.homeworking.com/library/posture.htm