Tips on Maintaining Good Posture While Working From Home

Well, it looks like we’re hunkering down at home for the long run. That means changes are coming- lots of them. Life as we know it is being completely disrupted, turned completely upside down, and it can be challenging to figure out this brand new terrain we find ourselves in. But one thing that hasn’t changed: work. Chances are (if you’re one of the lucky ones who is able to work remotely) you’ve had to convert some small space in your apartment or home into a makeshift office. And it won’t take long to find out that your kitchen chair isn’t the most ergonomic 9-to-5 friendly chair out there. It is all too easy to slouch over our laptops, or worse, work from bed (gasp!). It’s really important, now more than ever, to be mindful of our posture. Trust us, it’ll save you lots of pain and soreness in the future.

“We really overlook how simple it is to correct our posture, and what a significance it has to our whole body,” Dr. Alexandra Duma, DC, DACBSP, a chiropractor at New York City recovery studio FICS, told Travel + Leisure. “Our parents were right when they said, ‘Sit up straight.’” You are going to want to listen to what Dr. Duma says; she has worked with Olympic athletes. She’s seen first-hand what the effects of poor posture can do. And it’s a common issue from way before quarantine life.

Photo: Reshot

Dr. Duma’s number one tip, she told Travel and Leisure, is to set up a workspace that is as comfortable as you can make it. “Try to assign a space where you can be productive, by a source of light, and make sure that you’re not on a couch or bed,” she said. “I think people can be tempted to do that during this time…but that can be very bad for your body, back, and neck, so try to have a space with a desk and chair.” Yes, it might be tempting to work from the couch, but she wanted, “If you work from your couch, probably in two days, you’ll be in a lot of pain.”