What is the right way to sit on a chair?

Most of us work in the office or at our workplace, sitting on the chair for 6 to 8 hours daily. Almost one-third of our day is spent sitting. By sitting continuously, the possibility of many lifestyle-related diseases is increasing. Also, if we are not sitting properly it can have a bad effect on our spinal cord too. There can also be many problems related to the back and neck.

If you are in the job of sitting on the chair for a continuously long time then it is very important to know that what you should do to avoid back and spine problems. The most important thing for this is that your posture should be right on the chair. To keep the posture correct, the tips suggested in the infographic on the right should be followed.

• While typing, keep your arms at an angle of about 90 degrees.
• The feet should be well-grounded. If the feet are not reaching the floor, reduce the height of the seat, or use a footrest.
• Your armrest should be adjusted in such a way that the shoulders are always in a relaxed position.
• The knees should be slightly below the hips or at least equal.
• While sitting there should be enough space under your desk that you can easily stretch the legs.
• Follow the Rule of 20-20! Continuous sitting in front of the screen increases stress on the eyes, and can also cause headaches and pain in neck muscles. Therefore, follow the rule of 20-20. According to this rule, after every 20 minutes, stay away from the screen for 20 seconds and close your eyes. Blink the eyes 20 times. While doing this keep your neck straight. By the way, you don’t need to follow this rule fully. The intention behind this rule is only that you do not stay in the same position continuously. Keep changing it and this rule can help. You can also keep the figure of 25 or 30 instead of 20.
• Make a habit of getting up from the chair twice every hour. Take a walk somewhere for two to four minutes. Apart from this, whenever you get a phone call, either get up or make a habit of taking a walk to attend a call.
• If your office is on the first, second, or third floor, then it is a good thing. Take a stroll up and down using the stairs once or twice. Even if you do light stretching while walking, it will be better.
• It will be good if you keep on stretching while sitting in the middle of work. Especially light stretching of legs, arms, and shoulders should be done continuously.
• Drinking water in between is also very important. This will not only help in keeping you hydrated but also you will get fitness-related benefits like it will help you to remove the eyes from the screen or files for some time and there will be movement in the neck.

Fitness

Dr. Seema Grover

Chief physiotherapist

Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals

Source:

December 2, 2020, Health