Working from home undoubtedly has its benefits. Its saves you travel time, reduces travel fatigue, and gives the flexibility of working. Studies have shown that working from home results in more work efficiency as well.

However, it can have significant impacts on activity levels, mobility, and posture by cutting commutes, transitioning to a makeshift work-from-home arrangement, and sitting for long periods of time. Combine this with no physical activities and absolutely zero body movement, resulting in physical problems such as neck stiffness, back pain, and other musculoskeletal conditions.

Here are some tips on keeping posture in your home office setup and some seriously good mobility movements to help keep the body healthy.

1. Use the Right Set-up When Sitting for Long Periods of Time:

If you’re using a desk or table, make sure that your computer monitor is at or just below eye level and that the height of your chair is adjusted so that your hands fall comfortably on the keyboard as you bend your elbows to ninety degrees.

To support your lower back while ensuring that the front of the seat doesn’t strain on your knees, make sure to sit straight against the backrest of your chair.

2. Find Ways to Keep Moving Throughout the Day:

You may be sitting for long periods of time than usual. Get up, walk around, after every 45 minutes. Stretch your arms, neck and walk around for a couple of minutes. This will stimulate general circulation and provide a break from the screen.

If you receive phone calls, ensure that you talk on the phone walking from your seat. This will help in body movements and refresh your working posture.

3. Add Stretching and Strengthening Exercises to Your Daily Routine:

When working remotely, adding only a few minutes of stretching and strengthening to your day will help maintain musculoskeletal fitness.

Conduct total body workouts concentrating on activities on the heart, upper and lower extremities that function. Allow cool down between training sessions for proper recovery and complete a comprehensive stretching routine at the end of each workout.

4. Counteract Shoulder Pain with Foam Rolling:

Using a foam roller to help stretch and mobilize three main areas after a long day of working on a laptop: the muscles along the anterior chest wall, the latissimus dorsi (a.k.a. ‘lats’), and the thoracic spine.

5. Strengthen Your Core to Promote Good Posture:

The power of your heart and proper body consciousness has much to do with maintaining good posture when working from home. A strong core will help you naturally sit straight and prevent upper and low back pain or stiffness.

Core exercises that you can perform at home include planks, dead bug, bird-dog, and core exercises for anti-rotation.

These tips will definitely help you to improve your working posture and prevent any neck, back, or shoulder pain. Even despite this if you experience any problem, you can consult a physiotherapist for expert advice and recover from pain.