6 Ways to Stay Healthy When You Sit at Your Desk for More Than 8 Hours

It is quite obvious that your body is not adapted to sitting for many hours a day. However, it is inevitable and very often nowadays that a lot of us have to work in this position. Regular and long-term work at your desk can cause many injuries and overload changes within our spine. In order to prevent the negative impact that long sitting behind your desk has on you, here are some great solutions.

1. A nourished body is an efficient one

It’s no secret that our diet directly affects the state of our body. Therefore, the daily menu must be free from harmful food products, while being the source of the most necessary vitamins and minerals. Put on healthy products that will provide your organism not only empty calories but above all, the ingredients essential for the body to grow properly and function well. Healthy eating also includes eating regular meals at appropriate times. Hurrying to the office, we often forget to prepare a healthy meal, thanks to Meal Delivery Experts we can choose the best meal delivery services for our needs.

2. Workplace ergonomics

Long hours of inactivity weaken the muscles that hold the spine in the correct position. A properly selected chair will provide the right sitting position. It should have an adjustable height, as well as a backrest adapted to the natural curvature of your spine. A good chair should have elbow rests, and the backrest height should reach above the shoulder blades.

Do not lean, do not hump, do not pull your head forward. To prevent overloading of the hands and carpal tunnel syndrome (manifested by tingling, numbness, pain), make sure that your wrists don’t lie directly on the countertop while holding the mouse. Move the mouse with your entire hand.

3. Move your body

During your break, try to do some exercises. While still being in the sitting position, stretch your stomach and keep your back straight. Straighten one leg as much as possible. Exhaust. Keep your other leg at 90 degrees. Slowly return to the first position and inhale, change your leg and repeat twenty times for each leg.

There is a second quick exercise you can do in a sitting or standing position. Just grab your hands behind your back and, if you can, lace your fingers together. Straighten your arms and gently raise your arms up a few centimeters until you feel the tension in your chest. Hold for 10-30 seconds. Avoid this movement if you have shoulder problems.

4. Take care of your eyesight

While working in front of the monitor, we focus our eyes on one object for hours. The negative effect of it may be the relaxation of the eyeball muscles, accommodation problems and vision impairment. We move our eyes very quickly from the monitor to a keyboard. And this is the main reason we don’t blink a lot during work, leaving our eyes dry. Why is this happening? It’s because your brain associates quick movements of your eyeballs with winks. And one of the ways of helping yourself is applying eye drops. You can also look out the window and cover your eyes with your hands and blink.

If you work at home and can organize your work time yourself, plan your computer work in the morning and afternoon hours. Try not to use the computer in the late evening, because it blocks the secretion of melatonin (sleep hormone) from the pineal gland and adversely affects the quality of your sleep.

5. Hydrate!

Mineral water not only quenches thirst. It is also a source of health and proper course of fundamental life processes. Even slight dehydration gives you symptoms of weakness and malaise. Few people realize that insufficient hydration can cause back pain. Let me explain why: the spine consists of intervertebral discs covered with a greasy substance. Its composition is mostly water. Therefore, dehydration may result in loss of mobility. Not only the spine but also muscles and tendons require hydration. Soft tissues must be properly hydrated. They cannot be dry because they would not move elastically relative to each other. Water ensures correct movement mechanics. If this basic condition is not met, there may be pain associated with the musculoskeletal system.

6. Supplement vitamin D

If you’re chained to your desk at the office and have no chance to expose yourself to sunlight, here is a compulsory vitamin that you need to supplement: vitamin D. Stick to this rule especially during autumn and winter when there is even less sunlight. Avitaminosis can cause, among others, osteoporosis, poor functioning of the nervous system, inflammation of the skin and reduction of immunity. We distinguish vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and D2 (ergocalciferol). However, the only functional form we can make use of is vitamin D3. Our bodies produce it thanks to provitamin D3 which occurs in our keratinocytes (a type of skin cells). However, to build our own reservoirs, we need to expose our skin to sunlight. Otherwise, supplementation is crucial.

Summary

Long hours spent at the desk are straining your spine even more than standing. Remember to apply the above principles, because to maintain health and well-being, as well as avoiding all types of back or neck pain; prevention is the most important thing.

©Paula Sieracka