Our top wfh tips

We all want to have great posture. Okay, maybe not, but we all want to be comfortable and pain free. Here are ten tips to help you improve your alignment and decrease your risk of pain when working from home:

1. Make sure your hips are at the back of the chair

   We sit forward in our chair thinking our posture will be perfect. But here's the secret - we are inherently lazy. So just take advantage of that wonderful back rest on the chair and use it! Make sure to get your hips to the back of the chair.

2. Make sure your knees are in line with your hips

   Being tall is tough. If you are sitting and your knees are above your hips, you need to sit on a higher surface. Or grab some pillows and stick them under your butt - yes, tall people need booster seats too

3. Make sure your feet are on the floor

   This is for my petite people. If your feet don't rest on the floor when you are sitting in a chair, find something you can put under your feet. Yoga block, an amazon box, some of the toilet paper you are hoarding.

4. Keep your elbows in at your waist

   When you are working at your computer as much as possible keep your elbows in at your waist. This will decrease strain to the neck and shoulder. I like to refer to it as T-Rex arms, and am trying to make it a thing.

5. Keep your head in line with your shoulders

   'Text neck' is a thing? For every 10 degrees forward your head goes, that's 10 extra pounds of force on your neck. So your 10 pound head feels like 50 or 60 pounds when you are looking down at your phone.

6. Look away from your computer every 20-30 minutes for 20 seconds

   We spend so much of our time focusing on things arms length away (hello laptop and phone) that our eyes get really used to focusing close. Try to read the oven clock, admire your art, or spy on your neighbors. Think of it as a workout for your eyes.

7. Get up and take a break every hour

   Ideally get up & walk around for 5 minutes, but at the very least change your position. Try setting a timer as a reminder. If you are 'multitasking' like me, doing laundry while working from home means I'm up every 60 minutes to change the load.

8. Stay hydrated

   You should aim to drink half your body weight in ounces of water. (So if you weigh 160lb, try to drink 80oz of water.)

9. Get outside

   Spending 20 minutes outside every day has been shown to have a significant impact on your health. Plus, taking breaks helps boost productivity and focus.

10. Change positions!

    If you remember nothing from this long list, remember this: the best thing you can do is to work in a variety of positions. Our bodies are meant to move.