Improve your posture: 5 tips on how to straighten up at the office

When you slouch all day in an office chair your chest muscles tighten, causing your shoulders to rotate inward and your spine to move forward. These three symptoms of bad posture weaken your rhomboid muscles and can cause pain in your neck, lower and upper back and even your arms and legs.

These five simple tips in the workplace can help to improve your overall posture:

• Sit up straight – surely you’ve heard this before, probably throughout high school. As it turns out, your teachers (and your parents) were right! When sitting at your computer, both feet should be flat on the ground and your arms at a 90-degree angle when typing.
• Stretch regularly – stretching releases built up tension and increases blood flow.
• Move around – we weren’t built to sit in one spot for an entire day! Getting up and moving around regularly helps to relax and loosen muscles. Try going for a short walk on your lunch break!
• Train your muscles to do the work – when exercising at the gym, be sure to train agonist and antagonist muscles equally. Building a good muscle memory will assist you in maintaining good posture without fatigue.
• Relax your shoulders – tension and stress causes our shoulders to rise up toward our ears and results in slouching. Relaxing your shoulders helps to straighten your spine and improves posture.

Good posture in the workplace is important for preventing back pain and muscle fatigue.

Reference:  Everyday Health.com