Several of my patients/subscribers have replied in recent weeks with familiar complaints like:
*Migraines that prevent sleep (Likely sourced from neck and shoulder tension from the home work environment.)
*Upper back tension or distress from a coffee table “desk” – (KJ, this one’s for you!)
*Hip pain from sitting more and moving less (6’ tall Ed told me he was spending lots of desk time, mixed with playtime with his 18-ish month old on the floor, with only weekend walk times – ouch)
Well, the people have spoken. :-)
If you’re one of many who have been forced to adapt to a home work setup that’s neither ideal nor ergonomic by any stretch of the imagination, never fear, here’s a little “chicken soup” for the remote worker’s soul. One of the tricks to preventing side-effects like those listed above is to split up your work time with frequent bouts of movement and/or stretching. Ideally, you want to be keeping tabs on your body and doing this BEFORE aches and pains appear. No proper desk? Stand at the kitchen counter or your dining table and use some books or “Amazon” boxes to wrangle yourself up a standing desk to mix up body mechanics. *When standing – squeeze your glutes (your butt) often to engage your essential core muscles – your lower back will thank you for it.
Or, simply set a timer for 30-minutes and when it rings the rule is you MUST drop whatever you’re doing to do a five to ten minute “power stretch”. As a hidden bonus, you’ll probably find your concentration (and productivity) gets a boost too! Can’t make 5-10 minutes possible? 2-5 minutes is better than nothing. Heck, do a denneroll session if you’ve really been hunched over at a laptop for too long
Here’s one of my favorite better posture moves:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCfyBF3TBQs&feature=youtu.be
It’s simple to do, doesn’t require a lot of effort, and you can do it anywhere. Even 30-60 seconds at regular spots throughout the day could be a game-changer.
For now, sit as best you can…and move even better!
Dr. Josh
