Your Body is a Fortress, Part 1

As you read the words on your screen right now, where are your arms? 

Are they hovering over the keyboard as you tip tap away on the keys?

Or, are they supported by your armchair? Or resting on the table?

Where is your chin? Is it jutting out toward the screen? Or in a relaxed, neutral position?

I’m asking this stuff because I care.

Having once lived much of my life in cube farms and offices, I have personally suffered from the effects of not paying attention to body position. Which, is pretty lame, since I was once a self-employed (and busy!) massage therapist with > 1,000 hours of training + extra training in ergonomics.

I dislike that word, ergonomics, unless I’m talking about Lance Armstrong or racing road bikes. But, in truth, knowing some essentials can take away pain you may be experiencing.

Since I know that a lot of you out there are either bloggers yourself, or work in a job that requires a lot of time at a desk, I want to offer these three quick tips that can make your life more comfortable and enjoyable. Read ‘em or weep…

1)    Support your arms wisely.

If you’re holding your arms out all day to type there’s something holding them up, its either a table or structure of some sort, or YOU. By YOU, I mean your rhomboids, trapezius, shoulder girdle, and other accessory muscles. Our bodies weren’t constructed to hold ourselves in a seated position for hours on end, so we shouldn’t expect that putting such a load on a specific set of muscle groups would be realistic. What happens over time when YOU is used instead of an external support? Our neck and shoulders start getting very sore as muscle groups from the neck start being recruited by the exhausted muscles in the shoulder girdle and upper back. They’re calling out, “Mayday,” and begging for relief. Like good support staff, the accessory muscles join in to help, but have you seen the size of those buggers? They’re tiny! As a result, soon the whole raft is adrift and you’re in pain. If you’re experiencing upper back and/or neck pain, support your arms with an external support. (Note: If your left shoulder hurts, you’re probably mousing with an unsupported right hand and arm, if your right shoulder hurts, your left hand and arm need support.)

2)    Maintain your chin in a neutral position.

I know this one is tough; it is natural for me, too, to become engaged in what I’m reading or working on, and slowly start leaning into my screen or jutting out my head and/or chin. The first thing to check is how far your head is from your screen. The rule-of-thumb is about an arm’s length, but just take a moment and look at your screen in a relaxed, neutral position. Are you squinting? Then move your entire body forward to the screen, move the screen closer to you, or get an eye exam. It is important that your neck remain neutral, especially for the reasons mentioned above; it is unnatural to hold our bodies in locked positions for much of the day as we all do, let alone in a position that stresses our natural alignment. If you continue to jut that chin to the screen, the little muscles that attach in the rear of your head, like the sternocleidomastoid and rectus capitis, will start screaming and cause you some bell-ringer headaches. Maintain your head and chin in a neutral position.

3)    Incorporate change.

This one isn’t so convenient. I’ll attest to that. But, if you want to say healthy and pain free, you must learn how to change your behavior. Move around at least once an hour. I’m serious. Get up and stretch (get a drink of water while your at it). Open up your chest by grabbing those arms behind your back and stretch (or see the video below—great stretch). If you sit all day with your body leaning forward, shoulders dipping down, you’re encouraging a smaller space for your lungs to open and intake oxygen. That’s a bummer. Set the ding-ding alarm on your PC or Mac to ring every hour to remind yourself to move around. The body loves change—move it around. Raise your chair in the morning, then lower it in the afternoon, or add a small wedge under you bum, keeping your knees close to a 90° angle, in general. Get out of the building and do wall push-ups, who cares what people think? Squeeze your butt cheeks and Kuegel muscles ten times every 30 minutes. Incorporate change.

The biggest thing with all this stuff is to realize that you are worth it—take care of your fortress. If the bridges start getting attacked and moat starts draining, all these things just become more and more important. Start now. Taking five minutes to adjust your position, stretch, move about, and squeeze your butt cheeks is a small price to pay to maximize your quality of life in the saddle.

Email me with questions or comments. How can I help?

 
[photo credit]