Back Pain And Posture

Many companies follow an ANSI-HFS standard in the design of their computer workstations, which incorporates ergonomic furniture and accessories.

Most homes don't have the space to accommodate ergonomic office furniture, nor do most people invest in it. If you're working from home using your computer on a regular table or you sit in a lounge chair or on your bed, chances are you aren't in a healthy posture. It could potentially lead to musculoskeletal injury, carpal tunnel syndrome, or even deep vein thrombosis.

View your computer screen with a straight neck. Put your screen in front of you at a comfortable viewing height. Don't look down at your screen or angle your screen, so you must twist your neck.

You may have to put the screen on a pile of books or on a cardboard box to raise it to a comfortable viewing position.

Test your back and neck posture against a wall or check proper posture illustrations to find any areas you need to work on when standing. 

Be more aware of your feet when you’re standing and adjust your weight so it’s distributed evenly across both feet.

Do pilates and other core strengthening exercises to help you stand taller and maintain a proper posture. 

Yoga also does that and emphasizes body awareness and balance.

• Slouching promotes low mood, decreased energy levels and can even impair student performance on a math test.
• Upright posture is linked with improved mood and energy levels among people with symptoms of depression.
• The bent-over posture associated with smartphone use could hamper breathing and impair respiratory function.

• Switch up your desk setup in ways that promote proper posture.
• Pulling exercises will strengthen them your back muscles, but upright or bent-over rows are ideal.
• Planks, push-ups, dead lifts and other exercises that make you hold your body in a rigid position help develop posture as they activate your core and stabilizer muscles.
• Glute bridges help to increase strength and flexibility of hips and that promotes stable movement and posture.
• Limit “flexion” exercises that involve curling your spine into a C-shape. 
• If you spend the bulk of your week sitting with poor posture a few hours of exercise won’t fix it. 

• The best kind of light you can have in your office is natural light. It helps our bodies maintain our internal "clocks" or circadian rhythms which affects our sleep and energy. 
• Poor lighting, whether it's dim lighting or harsh lighting from overhead fluorescent lights, can cause eye strain, stress, and fatigue.
• Don't sit with your back to a window unless you can shade it.
• Don't sit facing a window because that will make reading a monitor difficult. 
• If you use a task lamp at your desk, position it so the bottom of the lampshade is at about the height of your chin when it's on.

• Indoor plants prevent fatigue during attention-demanding work. 
• Even just having a window view of live greenery can be restorative and keep us focused.
• A peace lily plant requires little sunlight to survive and you only have to water it when the soil is dried out and is also great for cleaning the air.
• Cacti and aloe plants are other low-maintenance plants to consider.

1. Instead of propelling ourselves forward by pushing off with the back foot, we attempt to use our stepping foot to get us going. Sitting down too much shortens and tightens the hip flexor muscles, causing us to take the wrong step.
2. The passive foot strike. The movement provided by the joints in our feet offers suspension and balance. Plodding along flatly causes knee discomfort. It can create a slight misalignment of the back, and stiffness of the shoulders.
3. Letting your head hang forwards. Screens, reading, and desk work have made this the default position. With the head slightly forward, the muscles in the upper back and shoulders have to contract to hold it there. Back mobility becomes restricted, and you will be unable to rotate your spine from the hips.
4. Arms hanging awkwardly or forced into a tense power-walk movement. If you get steps one to three right, the arms will naturally dangle freely.

• When people walk together, they unconsciously fall into step. Their neural activity synchronizes too. The more in sync we are, the deeper our social connection.
• Walking aids creativity. A study revealed that when participants who brainstormed while walking, thought of more valid ideas than those who tried the same while sitting.
• Half an hour of walking per day helps treat depression.
• To reinforce the positive effects, notice how you're feeling. Notice what you are seeing, smelling, and tasting.
• Be aware of rumination if you're struggling with something such as grief, a job loss, or uncertainty. Avoid unhelpful responses such as "why me?" or "why this?" Instead, ask, "what now?" to help you find a way forward.

If you tend to slump, you need to learn to lengthen your back. Use the time that you're sitting to stretch yourself against the backrest.

• Sit with your bottom well back in your chair while moving your upper body away from the backrest.
• Place your fists on the front lower border of your rib cage, then gently push back on your rib cage so as to elongate your lower back.
• Then, grab some place of your chair and make yourself taller by gently pushing the top of you away from the bottom.
• In that position, put your back against the chair's backrest. Ideally, the chair would have some grippy thing mid-back to hold you.

For a healthier back, develop the "inner corset" core strength: the group of core muscles that support your spine. Crunches are not the best exercises for this purpose as they also crunch your discs and nerves.

You should engage particular muscles deep in the abdomen and back; then your muscles can take care of your back.

• Jumping Jacks: 20 reps or 40 reps
• Squat: 10 reps or 20 reps
• Incline push-up: 10 seconds or 20 seconds
• Plank: 30 seconds or 40 seconds
• Single-Leg Glute Bridge: 5 reps each leg or 10 reps each leg

Complete this circuit three times with a 30-second rest between each round.

• 40 Speed Skaters
• 10 Floor Burpees
• 15 Leg Lift + Hip Lift

Set a timer for 10 minutes and complete the circuit as many times as possible with little to no rest over the course of those 10 minutes.

How we start our day is key to our daily lives.

Practicing gratitude, taking things light and easy, listening to soothing music, and cultivating a positive mindset is the start of self-care.

Little things like focusing on your breath, some moderate exercise, taking care of your posture, relaxing with your favorite TV show

are great ways to do some self-care that they don't require any extra time, like a spa therapy or a vacation.

Set a timer once an hour to remind you to move. Get up and move your body, walk up and down the stairs, or take a brisk loop around the block.

The movement needs to be reasonably active and needs to get you out of breath. Afterward, you will feel more productive.

Most people can find an activity that they enjoy. It could be walking the dog, doing pilates, or playing in the garden.

Find the activity you like and get value from and do that.

• Road Running: running on paved roads, paths, and sidewalks.
• Treadmill Running: easier than outdoor running and can be gentler on your joints.
• Racing. Road races can vary from 5Ks to half or full marathons or even ultramarathons. 
• Trail Running: it takes place on hiking trails, from deserts to mountains.
• Track Running. Track events include shorter distance races from the 50-yard dash to 400-meter sprints. 

• Invest in Shoes and Gear. Visit a specialty running store to get fitted for the best shoes for you and check out gear such as running shorts, tops, or tights made of wicking fibers.
• Stay Safe. Do a warmup before you start, like a walk or an easy jog for 5 min.
• Follow running safety advice, such as going against traffic when running on roads. Always carry some form of identification with you.
• Use the Run/Walk Method. Start with running for one minute, then walk for one minute. Try to increase the running intervals over time.
• Make It Manageable. Keep a conversational pace during each workout. If you can't speak in a full sentence, slow down. Breathe through your nose to get enough oxygen.