Slouching at my desk

trying to straighten out my act...

[mona]

I'm trying to break the habit of slouching, but so far no dice. I'm more concerned with comfort than I am with appearances, and it's just so much more comfortable to slouch! But I don't want my back to end up all curved over and messed up and I know that it does make me look kinda lazy.

Is there a way to sit up straight and remain comfortable, too?

[limbo]

Nope.

But there are ways to make it less easy to slouch.
Place you back rest far forward so it hugs the base of the spine - this should straighten you up a bit. I did this for the same reason you mention and now I get a sore back if I(when)slouch forcing me to sit up.

(also a regular massage is a sure way to reduce the need to slouch :) )

[OntheEdge]

you could install your monitor on the ceiling and just lay flat on the floor... ;)

[mona]

lol - if I worked at home, I might give it a try;) But in the mean time, I adjusted my chair. It was set pretty far back, limbo.

[curlykarl]

Sitting cross legged in a kind of Lotus position usually helps :)

Its actually quite comfy :)

[ritualcoffee]

This will sound corny - but I do yoga and I have to say my posture is much better and it has actually become uncomfortable and unnatural for me to slouch. I highly recommend a 20-min yoga routine.

Plus- after hours of sitting still in front of a computer the stretching in yoga has really helped.

[mona]

Yoga, huh? (I suppose sitting cross-legged is sorta related to that) Well, I bought a yoga dvd maybe a year ago and tried it a few times. It's pretty hard! I was sorta surprised by that. I only did it twice. OK, maybe I'll give it another try. thanks

[Craig_F]

I pushed my monitor back so I could cram myself really close to the desk while sitting straight up. Now, I can't really slouch at all without moving back.

[ritualcoffee]

go with the relaxing yoga at first - don't do power yoga or pilates right off the bat. that stuff can hurt something awful

[mona]

I think it actually was pretty easy stuff:O) But I was in terrible shape at the time, I'm a little better off now so it should be easier.

All right, just pushed the moniter back. Hey, this stuff seems to really be helping. gratzi

[austtr]

aahhh... nearly my favourite topic (after hidden links in Google that is)

In my other life I am a Environment, Safety & Health manager for a large corporation.... so ergonomics is a topic I've been around on many occasions.

Rule 1 is get a decent, sturdy chair... fully adjustable for seat tilt, height & back adjustment. It does not need to cost a fortune. Sit up straight, adjust so that your feet are flat on the floor and the chair back makes contact with the small of your back. If your feet don't reach the floor, get a foot rest. Take a break every 20 mins... stretch, change the eye's point of focus.

2) In every office I have ever looked at, the IS&T team are an ergonomics disaster area... common scenario is a captains chairs leaning way back in a reclining position, arms reaching forward and up, wrists dropped through 90 degrees and fingers pointing onto the keyboard like pecking implements. Eyes glued to the screen for hours at a time, never getting up (why, I'm too comfortable like this!) Head
held forward on arching neck so that the sweet spot in the bifocals lets them read the screen...

Computer aided drafting (CAD) is another bad area.

If this sounds familiar.... make a change. Your body will thank you. Accept that prolonged periods in front of a screen using a keyboard puts you in a high risk category for ergonomic impact. Minimize that risk.

Lots of good ergonomic reference sites on the net.

[mona]

More good advice. Thanks! My feet were dangling and now they're flat. Hopefully this will all start feeling normal soon.

[tbear]

>If this sounds familiar....
LOL, I could have sworn I just felt the world move.
Must have been all those reading this thread sitting up straight ;+)

What an excellent thread!

[miles]

I had to switch chairs every day or two until I got a quality chair. The key is changing your seating position 3 to 5 times per day. I second the good chair. It is best if it has the 5 point support, adjustable arm rests, adjustable back eg forward/backward/up/down and the seat that goes up down and tilts forward and backward. You can also throw a box under your desk to elevate you feet. The one thing that has helped me the most is adjusting the back to force my butt into the back of the seat. You may want to go for walks as well, get the blood circulating.

[Robino]

I've ripped the arms off of my chair and locked the back support as far forward as possible. It's almost impossible to slouch. I believe stretching a few times a day is very important too.