WFH Healthy Habits
- cararacicot
- Feb 25, 2021
- 4 min read
Well, guys. We are coming up on one year since the world shut down, and most of us transitioned to the work from home life. For the initial two-week closure, I think most people welcomed the idea of wearing their sweats all day and working from their couch. But two weeks quickly turned into two months, which turned into six months, which eventually brought us to where we are today at eleven months of this new reality. And if you’re still working from your couch… I’d place a bet that you’re in some sort of pain now.
Now, I do think that a lot has been learnt since the start of the pandemic. For the most part, people have realized that our bodies crave movement & are not meant to stay in the same position all day. That being said, I don’t think that people have been fully equipped with what they need to prevent sitting-induced injuries (hey back pain!) while they work from home. So today, we are going to go over some of my favourite movement breaks and general tips to prevent injury & take care of your precious bodies while working from home (cause lets be real… you’re not going back to the office anytime soon).
Now what should my desk/ chair look like? Here are a few general pointers:
Try to find a chair that is high enough so that your knees are bent at 90 degree angles and your feet can rest flat on the floor underneath you. If your feet are hanging, try putting a foam roller under your feet to prop them up :)
Elevate your laptop/desktop so that it is at eye level. If your laptop is too high or too low you will 100% strain your neck and shoulders after a few hours (technically, my computer is too low in this picture).
Make sure your wrists are supported at 90 degree angles so that you do not have to extend your wrists to type. A lot of people have come down with elbow and/or wrist pain because of this… don’t let this be you!
Your lower back needs to be supported. Pay attention to how you are sitting in your chair. If you don’t have an ergonomic chair and you are sitting all the way back, chances are your pelvis is tucking under which will naturally cause your upper back to roll forward, and your chin to poke out. Solution? Roll up a towel or pillow and place it behind your lower back to support your lumbar spine while you sit!
MOVEMENT BREAKS. This is the simplest but most effective tip I have for you today. Even if you have the most ergonomic set-up that exists, if you stay in the same position for long hours without breaks, you WILL develop some sort of discomfort. Set a timer on your phone or apple watch for every 30mins as a reminder to get up/change positions. It doesn’t need to be long, but your body needs to move & get out of stagnant resting positions. So stand up, walk around your home, do a simple stretch, touch your toes… A little goes a LONG way here.
It was really hard to pick just 5 exercises for this one (realistically I could give you 5 for each body part here), but here are my favourites for breaking up those long bouts of sitting:
#1 - Thoracic Extensions Over Roll
This is a great exercise to counteract all of the hunching forward that we tend to do when sitting at a desk for long periods of time. Make sure to keep your core engaged and to only extend segmentally though the spine (ie. the lower back should remain stable throughout).
#2 - Standing Hamstring Stretch
I love stretching the hamstrings in a standing position as I find you can use your body weight to help deepen the stretch & remain in control throughout the movement. Be sure to hinge through the hips (NO rounded backs!) & keep your toes pointed up towards the ceiling.
#3 - Standing Chest Openers
This is a great dynamic stretch to help open up the chest after a lot of laptop work. Bring your arms out in front and hollow out your chest. From there, open your arms to the side in a "W" shape, squeezing the shoulder blades together at the back. Keep your core activated and breathe with each movement.
#4 - Standing Wall Slides
This exercise is not pretty (hey double chins!) but it is soooo good. Start by engaging your core to press your upper back into the wall. From there, do a small chin tuck to activate the front of your neck & lengthen the back of your neck. bring your arms up into a "W" shape on the wall, and slide them up as straight as you can.
#5 - Dead Bugs
I love a good ol basic dead bug. Our deep core is the most important stabilizer for the lumbar spine, and therefor a major protective agent against lower back pain! Keep your lower back on the floor, and remember to breathe through each repetition.
PICK AN ACTIVITY. Gyms opened up last week (woohoo!), so you can return to your yoga/spin/gym sessions and give your body that much needed sweat it’s been asking for. I’ll dive into this topic a bit deeper another time, but 30mins of exercise a day = happy body & healthy mind! But in order to actually stick to an exercise routine, you need to (need to!!) actually enjoy what you’re doing. This will look different for everybody. A spin class may be great for one person, but you may absolutely hate your life, and therefore, it’s not good for you! It may take some trial and error, and you may end up doing an activity you hate 1x… but when you FIND YOUR THING, trust me; it feels so good.
That's it for today folks. To sum it up: Adjust your work set up, move often, exercise daily. You've got this.
Until next time,
C
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