How to Sit at a Desk Right
If you’re like most people, you probably sit at a desk for 40 or more hours a week. If you pay attention to how you stand, you can lessen the stress on your back and shoulders and improve your health as a whole. We talk about how to sit at a desk in a healthy way by using the right chair, having good posture, and doing exercises while sitting and standing.
How to sit up straight in a chair at the office
Here are some good things you can do to improve your posture at your desk:
- Use a chair that can help you.
- Just sit right down.
- Do postural exercises.
- Change the location of the screen.
- Move your keyboard to a different spot.
- Move around a lot and get up.
1. Use a supportive chair
The best way to sit up straight at a computer is to use a chair that gives you support. Chairs that are good for your back have:
- There should be padded backrests that support both your upper and lower back by following the natural curve of your spine.
- Changes could be made to the seat’s height, armrests, and ability to lean back.
- A soft place to rest your head and neck.
- The soft padding supports the back, thighs, and buttocks.
Once you have a chair that is comfortable and good for your body, you need to sit in a way that supports good posture.
2. Please take a seat.
A chair that puts your body in the right position is the best way to sit at a desk. Even if you buy the right tools to help your posture, you still have to sit in a chair the right way. Do the following to sit in the right way at a computer:
- Putting your hips up against the back of your chair at work
- Changing the height of your chair so that your eyes are right in front of the computer screen and your neck is straight
- Keeping your feet flat on the floor and at an angle so that your knees rest below your hips
- You can support your neck and lower back with your chair or a few small cushions.
- With the active back on your chair, you can change your position often to keep your muscles moving.
- If you choose the right armrest, you can rest your shoulders.
When you sit in your chair the right way, you can support your spine’s natural curve without putting any extra stress on it.
3. Do postural exercises
One of the best ways to fix the bad things that sitting at a desk does to the body is to work out. You can sit up straighter at your desk if you do exercises for your back. Do these exercises to improve your health and learn how to sit at a desk properly:
- Take a walk. It’s a great way to get some exercise and to help you calm down.
- When you do yoga, your spine can keep its natural curve.
- You can use a foam roller to stretch out your back when it hurts or feels tight.
- You can improve your posture and learn how to sit right in an office chair by doing these exercises outside of work.
4. Move the screen to a different spot.
When your shoulders are relaxed and your neck is long, which is good for your posture, your screen is in the right place. Here’s how to adjust the angle of your screen to help your posture:
- Place your screen right in front of you, above the middle of your keyboard.
- If you sit up straight and look straight ahead, your screen should be above where your eyes are. About two to three inches higher is enough.
- Keep about the length of your arm between you and the screen.
- Use a blue-light dimmer to cut down on glare and keep people from slouching.
5. Change where your keyboard is.
When the keyboard is in the right spot, an ergonomic desk works better. Set up your keyboard so that your arms don’t have to work hard and your shoulders don’t get tight. This will improve the way you stand. To put your keyboard where it should be, you need to:
- Place your keyboard in the middle of the space in front of your sternum.
- Keep the side of the keyboard you use most often turned slightly toward your body.
- Put the keyboard where your hands fall when you relax your shoulders, keep your elbows open, and make sure your wrists and hands are parallel.
- When you aren’t typing, you can put your hands on the wrist rest at the bottom of your keyboard to relax your muscles.
6. Get up a lot and move around
Getting up and moving around a lot is one of the best ways to sit better at your desk. Even if your desk is perfectly set up for your body, you still need to get up and move around a lot to keep your posture from getting worse. You must:
- Get up and stretch your legs for at least one minute every half hour.
- Every hour you work, take a five-minute break from your screen.
- Get away from your computer during lunch and take a short walk outside of your office.
- If your eyes are hurting, put your hands over them for up to 20 seconds.
If you try all of the above ways to improve your posture, you might reduce health problems caused by stress and improve your overall health.