Working with a computer regularly can expose you to several back and neck health risks given the fact that it requires you to spend many hours sitting in the same position and doing the same movements.

Even if you don’t believe it, computer work is very demanding.  If you think about it carefully, it is very common to slouch or lean after a short time in front of a computer, and these actions force our bodies into uncomfortable positions that put a lot of stress on our neck and spine.

Computer ergonomics can help you prevent immediate back and neck pain as well as chronic conditions related to neck and spine misalignment.  Knowing how to adjust you body while working at a computer can bring you numerous benefits, including getting rid of regular headaches, reducing back pain, eliminating shoulder pain, and improving productivity and concentration.

Here are 7 tips to make computer work serve you for a change:

1.    Move regularly
When you sit or stand in the same position for a long time you are forcing your body.  This is why one of the best things you can do in regards to computer ergonomics is to move and change positions frequently.  Move your legs; stop typing and shake your arms a little; move your shoulders up and down and back and forth; take your eyes off the screen and focus on distant objects; and take regular breaks to walk and stretch a little.

2.    Adjust the monitor
The monitor should be located so that when you look at it, your neck is in a neutral position, not bent down or up.  Your back must be reclined a little, never leaning forward to see what you’re working on.  Try to get a monitor with a movable slide, so that you can lower or raise it to find the best position.

3.    Adjust the keyboard
The keyboard should not be on your lap or on the desk.  It should be positioned below the desk on a special tray to make sure your wrists and forearms maintain a neutral position.  The keyboard must also be tilted away from you in order to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome.

4.    Find the right mouse
Start by placing your elbows close to your body and hands on the desk with the forearms extended naturally.  Move your hands over the space without separating your elbows from your body; this is your neutral reach zone, and it is the space in which the mouse should be used.  You should avoid reaching out of this area with it.  The mouse must be next to the keyboard on the tray, and there should be room to change sides in case you start feeling numbness or pain.  There are symmetrical mouses that you can use with both hands.

5.    Find a clear place for your workstation
Each task you perform requires different lighting and the amount of light each individual requires is a very personal matter; however, as a general rule, your workstation should be moderately bright.  You should make sure there is no glare on the monitor and that there is not too much light

6.    Locate everything within easy reach
You shouldn’t reach out to grab things on your desk because this action forces your body into extreme postures that can cause an injury.  Everything should be organized so as to be reached easily while you are sitting in front of your computer.

7.    Get an ergonomic office chair or proper back support
Purchase the best chair and back support you can afford.  Select one that suits your body, your workspace, and the activities you do, and then adjust it appropriately so that you sit at a slightly reclined angle.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.trucomfort.com as the original source).

You may not believe it, but sitting up straight can actually make you more confident in yourself.

A group of researchers from Ohio State University performed two studies at the same time with 71 students.  The students were separated into two groups, one directed by the business school and the other by the arts school.

They were told the arts study was researching facts that play a part in people’s acting abilities, specifically keeping a certain posture while doing other things, and the business study was looking into facts dealing with job satisfaction and good performance.  The students sat at a computer terminal and were told to either, ‘sit up straight and push out the chest’ or ‘sit slouched forward with the face looking down to the knees’.

While seated in one of these two ways, the students wrote down either three positive or negative personal characteristics related to future performance on the job.  Next, they completed a survey where they rated themselves on how well they would do as an employee.  The resulting rating was closely related to the posture they assumed while writing the positive and negative characteristics.

The students that sat up straight in a confident posture rated themselves according to the positive or negative characteristics they wrote down.  If they wrote positive ones, they rated themselves higher, while with the negative ones, they rated themselves lower.

The researchers discovered that people who were asked to sit up straight when asked if they were qualified for the job were more likely to believe the thoughts they wrote down, whether positive or negative, than those who were slouching while writing about their capacity.

The students who sat in good posture rated themselves higher than the ones who were slouched on their positive thoughts, and rated themselves lower than the slouched ones on their negative thoughts because their confidence was stronger no matter the case.

The researchers never mentioned the words ‘confidence’ or ‘doubt’ when giving the instructions, nor any other word that could lead them to a certain feeling based on their posture.  What this suggests is that people’s thoughts are influenced by their posture, even if they don’t realize it.  This also proves that posture affects not only what others think of us but also what we think about ourselves.

Posture is something you can change about yourself.  There are exercise routines like Yoga and Pilates that center on posture and alignment, as well as top of the line back support systems to help your body get used to the right posture easily.

There is no question about it!  Good posture has psychological benefits if you are a positive individual, and it is worth paying attention to.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.trucomfort.com as the original source).

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You may not believe it, but sitting up straight can actually make you more confident in yourself.

A group of researchers from Ohio State University performed two studies at the same time with 71 students.  The students were separated into two groups, one directed by the business school and the other by the arts school.

They were told the arts study was researching facts that play a part in people’s acting abilities, specifically keeping a certain posture while doing other things, and the business study was looking into facts dealing with job satisfaction and good performance.  The students sat at a computer terminal and were told to either, ‘sit up straight and push out the chest’ or ‘sit slouched forward with the face looking down to the knees’.

While seated in one of these two ways, the students wrote down either three positive or negative personal characteristics related to future performance on the job.  Next, they completed a survey where they rated themselves on how well they would do as an employee.  The resulting rating was closely related to the posture they assumed while writing the positive and negative characteristics.

The students that sat up straight in a confident posture rated themselves according to the positive or negative characteristics they wrote down.  If they wrote positive ones, they rated themselves higher, while with the negative ones, they rated themselves lower.

The researchers discovered that people who were asked to sit up straight when asked if they were qualified for the job were more likely to believe the thoughts they wrote down, whether positive or negative, than those who were slouching while writing about their capacity.

The students who sat in good posture rated themselves higher than the ones who were slouched on their positive thoughts, and rated themselves lower than the slouched ones on their negative thoughts because their confidence was stronger no matter the case.

The researchers never mentioned the words ‘confidence’ or ‘doubt’ when giving the instructions, nor any other word that could lead them to a certain feeling based on their posture.  What this suggests is that people’s thoughts are influenced by their posture, even if they don’t realize it.  This also proves that posture affects not only what others think of us but also what we think about ourselves.

Posture is something you can change about yourself.  There are exercise routines like Yoga and Pilates that center on posture and alignment, as well as top of the line back support systems to help your body get used to the right posture easily.

There is no question about it!  Good posture has psychological benefits if you are a positive individual, and it is worth paying attention to.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.trucomfort.com as the original source).

Don’t Forget to Subscribe by RSS or Email:

Posture can directly affect the quality of your life.  Good posture will make you feel and look younger, stronger and more confident, while at the same time it improves your performance in every area of life, your breathing, your movement capabilities, and reduces the risk of injuries.  It will surely help you get older without suffering from the dreaded pain in your joints!

But, how do you know if you have to improve your posture?  What are the alert signs?  Following is a very concise and clear list of the main posture alert conditions. If you happen to catch yourself in one of these posture sins, start working to correct it immediately:

-    Rounded back
-    One side of the body rotated forward or back
-    Head overhanging forward
-    Collapsed feet arches
-    Pelvis and hips twisted to the front, back or side
-    Limp chest and shoulders
-    Elevated hip or shoulder

All of the above mean that your body has fallen into a poor movement pattern due to diverse reasons, maybe muscle imbalance, injury, ergonomic issues or bad alignment while exercising.

However, the secret to correcting poor posture is easy:  you have to know it is there.  Once you know it, it’s easy to develop healthy posture habits that will help you strengthen your structure’s foundation in order to acquire good posture and a body that functions effectively.  Here are some tips for improvement:

1.    Find your body’s neutral alignment.  In this position, your spine can effortlessly deal with stress and strain.  Neutral alignment can be set while standing, sitting and moving.

2.    Keep moving.  After sitting for a period of time, you must stand up or lie down, and move around for a while in order to soften your muscles and joints.

3.    Work out your hip muscles.  If these are weak or inflexible, it may cause pelvis and lower back alignment problems.  Look for exercises that flex, extend, abduct and rotate your hips.

4.    Strengthen your abdomen.  Work out your abdominals to hold your pelvis in neutral alignment.  Do stabilizing training, in order to power your core abdomen muscles.

5.    Extend your back.  Learn back extension exercises to strengthen your spine, keep it aligned, and avoid back pain.

6.    Exercise your upper body.  Train to encourage the natural coordination and rhythm of the shoulder and shoulder girdle, as well as to strengthen the scapular and arm muscles.

7.    Do Yoga and Pilates.  These disciplines encourage and center on alignment and on the controlled movement of the spine, reinforcing good posture all the way.

8.    Visualize good posture.  Think of beautiful erect and strong trees, and imagine yourself growing tall with your arms over your head.  Imagine yourself walking and sitting in perfect neutral alignment.

9.    Ask a doctor.  Poor posture can greatly affect your life and health, so it may be wise to see a doctor and ensure you are on the right path to acquiring perfect posture.

10.    Constantly remind yourself about your posture.  You have to be aware of your posture during the day in order to fix it if you fall into a bad position at some point.  Set an alarm clock for every hour or post-it on your desk or fridge.  You can also use an ergonomic seat to help you stay aligned while sitting.

If you liked this article, tell all your friends about it. They’ll thank you for it. If you have a blog or website, you can link to it or even post it to your own site (don’t forget to mention www.trucomfort.com as the original source.

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A very important part of looking good is achieved with good posture.  It is mandatory to reflect your confident personality. A person that does not stand tall, sit straight, and bows with perfection, will never look confident in front of others.  Despite not having great looks, if a person has good posture, he/she will go a long way in attracting others towards him/her.

If you are someone who has neglected your posture for quite some time but are willing to correct it, you will be happy to know that there are some exercises that will help you attain good posture again.  It may be a little painful and difficult for you to follow the rules in the beginning, but be patient; with some perseverance, you will gain your good posture back for good.

The correct posture is when you sit with your back straight, chest up and out and your belly completely tucked in.  You have to make sure you do not sit stiff, as it will put a lot of strain over muscles and bones, and that you are using the right chair with the correct seat support.  Aim at sitting without jerking your body and at standing up in the same way.

Here are some exercises that will make you aware of your posture constantly, so that you can work on correcting it once and for all:

-    Cervical retraction.  Sit straight up on a chair, make yourself comfortable, and ensure your feet touch the floor.  Next, relax a little and pull your chin straight in, not nodding your head.  Repeat around ten times and feel how different your cervical posture feels when you do it.

-    Shoulder blade squeeze.  Sit on a chair and put your hands on your thighs.  Take time to relax and then, slowly move your shoulders up and backwards, squeeze your shoulder blades   together.

-    Breastbone lift.  This is perfect to strengthen the lower trapezium muscles.  Sit comfortably and lift the breastbone a few inches higher, compress your shoulder blades down and together.

-    Abdominal pull-in.  This is the best way to tuck your belly, and it is a very easy exercise.  Pull your stomach in while inhaling, and then exhale gradually and relaxed.  Repeat several times while you count to five.

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We tend to believe that our bodies do naturally good and healthy things. We assume that if the body does something by itself, then we shouldn’t interfere. But that’s not necessarily true. Give a monkey a pack of cigarettes, and it will smoke all of them. Where did its instinct of self-preservation go? Feed junk food to your dog and see if it stops eating it. Sometimes, we have to use our reasoning to find out what’s best for our health, we have to help our bodies. In other words, instincts need our aid. For example, you may feel that a soft bed is cozy and comfortable when you lie down on it, but how do you feel when you wake up? Surely much worse than if you had slept in a harder bed, where (according to you first thought) you shouldn’t even be able to close your eyes. The same happens when we sit down on a chair. First we sit up straight, but as time goes by, our posture becomes poor, and at the end of our working day we end up aching and in a bad mood —and we are lucky if we happen to know why.

But first of all, our bodies don’t use chairs out of choice. They do it because they don’t have a choice: by repetition, our social context fixes our behavior, it tells us to use certain objects or do things in certain ways. In fact, sometimes, during moments of relaxation or entertainment, people choose to sit on the floor, or to adopt different positions. This tells us that chairs aren’t the natural place to sit on.

So, why do we use them? They’re obviously a good invention, but nowadays their use is so widespread that we lost track of their origin. Besides, if we look around, we’ll see a lot of other inventions that are thought to be used together with them, which leaves us no choice. A brief history of chairs can help us understand where they come from. Books point to ancient Egypt, where they were used only by noble families. Then, Greeks and Romans adopted their use. For centuries, it was a symbol of status, while benches were used by common people in their everyday lives. And then, in the Renaissance, they stopped being a privilege and became affordable.

Like many things then, this object is here by “historical accident”, and now that we know it’s not a natural and perfect thing, we can question it, we can think of improving it. Let’s do it; let’s give our bodies some help. They need it, specially nowadays, when we live in a world built by civilization, pretty far from nature, and the things we use were already here when we arrived. It’s a mistake to assume that an object can’t be improved just because it’s been used for decades or centuries. Try adding a back support to your chair and see the difference. It will help you have a healthier life.

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