A typical working day takes 8 hours from morning to evening. Taking away the lunch break and other few moments people use, a huge part of the 8 hours is spent sitting down, and this can have several effects on the body. One aspect of sitting that can affect your health and productivity is the sitting position. It is recommended that one should assume an upright sitting position, but due to varying circumstances, that’s never the case.
We are going to look at some of the benefits of attaining a good sitting position as well as explore a few office furniture and accessories that one can use to improve their posture while working. If you have been experiencing some difficulties obtaining a good sitting posture, then this is for you.
Reduces Back and Neck Pains
The human body is not designed to sustain the same position for too long, especially when sitting, and this is what leads to back and neck problems in people who spend their time in the office hunched over their desks. An upright posture ensures that your head, pelvis, and body are stacked with the ribs pulled down. This gives you the optimal posture that has the least negative impact on your back and neck.
You can ensure that your sitting posture is alright when working by investing in an ergonomic chair with lumbar support. There are countless brands in the market, but the best one so far would be the mercurial Soutien Ergonomic Office Chair that packs a lot of back-friendly features like lumbar support and comfortable armrests.
Increases Focus
Source: Pixabay
You will be hard-pressed to maintain any form of concentration in anything you do if you are in discomfort. There’s nothing that throws people off their game more than a bad sitting posture. The constant pain you feel will force you to keep shifting your body every few minutes as you search for that elusive comfortable posture. This shifting will interfere with your focus, and eventually, your productivity will start to suffer.
To get results at work, you have to maintain your concentration, and this can only be achieved if you nail your sitting posture. If sitting doesn’t cut it anymore, you may want to try the best standing desk for a small office, with the Seiffen Laminated Standing Desk being the best option in the market.
Better Blood Circulation
Source: Pixabay
There are many blood-related complications that are caused by a sedentary lifestyle and bad sitting postures. Things like deep vein thrombosis and varicose veins come about when people sit the wrong way for far too long. Slouching, for instance, causes the ribcage to press down on vital organs, interfering with how blood moves through them. With time, this slowly graduates from a simple complication to a full-blown medical issue.
A good sitting posture, on the other hand, promotes good vein health and, by extension, boosts blood circulation. This, in turn, reduces the chances of the body developing high blood pressure and other heart-related complications. Ensure you sit with your hips planted into the chair, shoulders back, feet on the ground, and the neck muscles relaxed.
Improves Core Strength
Source: Flexispot
It takes muscles for the body to remain upright; however, doing it the wrong way will have those same muscles working against you, causing you unnecessary pain. Attaining the right sitting posture makes use of the core muscles of the back, side, and pelvis. All these muscles link with the lower and upper body sections as well as the spine. What this means is that anything that happens to your core muscles will have a lasting effect on your spine.
If finding time to do some quick exercises to boost your core muscles is hard, you may want to invest in a good desk bike that will help you keep fit without interfering with your office work. Of the many options available in the market right, your best bet would be the SitGo 2-in-1 Fitness Chair. It is a fitness chair designed for the office setting that allows you to combine your daily work with lower body workouts that will further improve your core muscles and health in general.
Prevents Kyphosis
Kyphosis is a severe condition of the spine that causes it to attain an abnormal curvature that leads to a rounded upper back that exhibits a curve that’s more than 45 degrees. Without proper treatment, Kyphosis can quickly degenerate into a more severe form that results in difficulties in eating and breathing. Sitting with bad posture constantly is what leads to this condition; the effects may not be evident at first, and you are likely to dismiss the pain you feel as another ordinary backache.
As the spine continues to curve, the pain increases, and it is hard to treat the condition even with medication. Once it has advanced beyond help, you will start having difficulty eating, breathing and you will have weak arms and legs as well as complications of the bladder and bowel control. Always watch your sitting posture and deal with any slight pain the moment it starts manifesting.
Increased Lung Capacity
Source: Unsplash
This is another often overlooked part of bad posture. Many people slouch over when they sit without even realizing it, and with time they get used to it. What they are not aware of is that they are applying unnecessary pressure on their rib cages which in turn compresses the space meant for the lungs to expand fully. This reduces the capacity of the lungs to properly take in air as it should.
The quickest way to rectify this would be standing or sitting upright with your hands interlocked behind your back. Hold that position for about 20 seconds while stretching your chest and pectoral muscles. Train yourself to avoid slouching forward when working; throw in some deep breathing exercises every time you bet the chance to.
Better Mental Health
Source: Unsplash
The human body is interconnected more than what people credit it for. An injury to one part of the body will have rolling repercussions on other parts of the body. Physical pain affects the mental state directly, and with time, this can turn into depression and anxiety. We already mentioned how lousy posture interferes with concentration; sometimes, it goes a step further and compromises mental health.
Bad posture resulting from a bad chair will also increase muscle fatigue. Once that sets in, the motivation to do work goes down considerably. This has the potential to cause a lot of problems as far as productivity is concerned. This only illustrates how far-reaching the effects of bad posture can be.
Proper Joint Alignment
Source: Unsplash
A good sitting posture will significantly reduce bone-related injuries like dislocations and bone fractures. When sitting or standing with the right posture, every joint in your body is aligned and in the right places, and even when you make sudden movements, there’s nothing bad that can happen. On the other hand, bad posture will have your joints out of line, and you could develop serious injuries if you suddenly stood or tried moving from a stationary position.
Exercising regularly is the most reliable way of ensuring that every joint in your body is strong and fortified enough to withstand anything. If you happen to spend a good chunk of your day sitting down at work, break that monotony up with exercise and switch to a high-quality standing desk every few hours for a change.
Increases Longevity
Source: Unsplash
Many people who retire early never do it because they are bored with work or have made enough money; usually, it is because their bodies can no longer handle the strain of working. The leading cause of this is sustained bad posture throughout their working lives. They may not have realized it at the time, but bad posture tends to have a long-lasting effect on the body that only manifests itself when it is too late to do anything about it.
Bad sitting and standing posture will increase the risk of arthritis and muscle-related complications that make it hard for you to last as long as you should in the working space. An early retirement is not a good thing. Incorporate exercises into your work life and invest in the right office and home furniture that will help you maintain good sitting and standing postures.
Conclusion
Sacrificing your health and comfort for the sake of the job has ended well for anyone. Taking care of the body should be your number one priority, and nailing that good sitting posture is a good place to start. It may cost you a good amount of money to buy an ergonomic chair but compared to the cost of having to treat the many complications that you may end up developing is much worse. Getting used to the right sitting and standing postures takes time, but it is doable.