Tips for Working from Home: How to combat sedentary habits
The word sedentary can be traced directly back to the Latin ‘sedentarius’, literally meaning "sitting, remaining in one place,".
Since the pandemic, more and more of us are working from home and it’s fair to say that a lot of us have been remaining in one place far more than usual. Whether that’s in your home office, kitchen counter or dining table, working from home (WFH) has made our lives even more sedentary than ever before.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), physical inactivity is the leading cause of all types of mortality. Vascular conditions, such as blood clots and varicose veins, are particularly worsened by sitting in the same position for long periods of time. So, what can you do to combat your inactivity?
Sit correctly
Sitting down for long periods of time doesn’t exactly scream “I’m bad for your health” but if you’re sitting with bad posture, it can be incredibly bad for your body. If you spend a long time in front of the computer, here’s what you can do to improve your posture:
Support your back: If possible, adjust your chair so that your lower back is supported to help reduce back pain. If you don’t have adjustable support for your chair using a pillow or cushion of support can help.
Adjust your chair: Your chair should be set up so that when you are sitting your knees are slightly lower than your hips. If you are typing, your chair should be adjusted so that your arms form an L-shape at the elbow joint. This helps prevent repetitive strain injuries.
Position your feet: You should try and keep your feet flat on the floor, or, on a footrest that helps you maintain them at a comfortable level. Do not cross your legs as this is one of the biggest contributors to posture-related problems.
Screen positioning: By ensuring that your screen is at eye level, it is much easier to maintain correct posture. Having a screen that’s too low contributes to neck and back pain, as well as repetitive muscle strain.
Be more active
Sitting less is much easier than it sounds if your job means you’re tied to a computer! There are a few things that you can do throughout your working day to make it a little less static:
Get up every hour: Even if it’s just for 1-2 minutes, getting up at least once an hour can go a long way to combat the health risks associated with inactivity. This can be something as simple as walking up the stairs a couple of times, or a quick walk around the block, whatever you can fit into your day.
Walk and talk: If making calls is a big part of your day, invest in a headset. Not only does this mean your hands are free for other tasks, but it also means every time you’re on a call you can stand up and move about more than if you were using a handheld device. This doesn’t just get you moving, it actually has a positive impact on the phone call itself!
Desk Stretches: Now we understand how ridiculous it may sound to be sat at your desk doing stretches, but it helps! Check out this article from Bupa with a whole host of stretches you can do to help your joints and muscles whilst WFH.
Team Challenges: If you’re part of a team working remotely, setting activity-based challenges can help encourage all of you to be more active. This could be something like a weekly step count competition encouraging people to get out and move. For people who rely on external motivators, this is of particular importance.
A lot of the tips in this article are based around small consistent changes contributing to a wider goal. As the adage says, a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. Picking a couple of these tips and incorporating them into your daily activity until they’re habitual will go a long way to improving your wellbeing. The NHS have an excellent series of articles about what you can do to help combat inactivity whilst working from home. For more information, you can check it out here.