For anyone who has spent an inordinate amount of time in the office, it can be quite a killer on your back. Hours and hours of sitting, usually accompanied with numerous cups of coffee and high levels of stress are all great ingredients for terrible posture.
There are many dangers to having bad posture and the effects of a badly bent back can severely diminish mobility and functionality at a later age, so it’s important to have a few tricks up your sleeve to combat the damaging impact that long days of sitting can have on your back.
Here are a few options for alternative chairs that you can use that will help give you better posture and prolong your skeletal happiness.
Kneeling Chair
The Kneeling Chair has made quite a popular rise in recent years as more and more people in offices all around the country have been either substituting their regular chairs or supplement their regular chairs with this surprising design.
The kneeling chair forces a person to sit, or rather kneel, in a bent position that gives no choice but to keep a straight posture for the back. While it may be uncomfortable at first for those with severely impaired posture, the kneeling chair is an amazing option for those who are concerned about their backs and want to take a precautionary and preventative step to protect themselves.
Since the chair is relatively small in size, it is quite easy to store it under a desk or in an office closet and alternate a schedule of using the chair every other day. Many offices have seen employees decide to share a kneeling chair, switching off days in which they use the chair.
The Exercise Ball Chair
This one has been popular for longer than the kneeling chair, but it is still a good option. The exercise ball forces you to strengthened your abdominal muscles in order to sit and maintain balance. While it may seem a bit silly to have a gigantic, usually colorful, ball in your office space, this option is a great start for those who wish to introduce some extra blood flow to their monotonous hours of office work. The exercise ball is a great supplement to use for a couple hours a day that provides relief from a regular office chair and can even help develop your abs!
Standing Desk
A recent phenomenon that has caught and spread like wildfire in a lot of blogging circles, the standing desk is an interesting take on office work. Instead of tweaking the furniture used to sit, the standing desk raises the platform of a desk so that a person can stand and work. While not as practical as a new chair for most (office desks can be heavy and many companies don’t allow employees to simply elevate their work stations), those with the flexibility may choose to go for this option. The standing desk leaves no room to sit and you must stand to work. This encourages good posture and develops strong leg, back and ab muscles as you are constantly in a more active physical state. Those with bad knees and hips may want to think about an alternative option.
With a few of these tips and tweaks you can find that you’ll be able to improve the quality of your work time and you may even find yourself more alert and focused. Remember that the key to good posture is to keep your back straight and avoid slouching and being hunched over.
Good posture in the work place can prolong your health and banish the possibility of back problems. It is an important measure to take for anyone who is concerned about their longevity.
Author Bio
This is a guest post by Nate Miller a part-time guest blogger and full time fitness and health enthusiast. Nate currently represents World Market, the best online marketplace to look for ottomans and patio furniture. Summer is around the corner, so check their ottomans page out. When not working, Nate likes to discover hidden treasures of the World.
