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Over the last few weeks life as we knew it has been significantly changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our usual routines have been disrupted by orders to quarantine, employees being told to work from home, gym closures, school closures, etc. With so much changing at once the amount of mental and physical stress we are under is immense. If you have been working from home for a few weeks now, there is a good chance that you have noticed an increase in “aches and pains”. Perhaps it’s a “kink” in your neck or “tightness” in your low back. In this post we want to offer a couple very general ideas of what you can do to combat these aches and pains before they worsen.
Posture: First and foremost, assess your posture! Work environments have significantly changed as a result of working from home. Instead of working at our ergonomically designed workstations, isolated from the world. We are finding ourselves working on laptops at kitchen tables and couches surrounded by distraction. And for many, working with a child on their lap has become the new normal. Working in an unfamiliar and non-ideal position is a recipe for neck, back, and shoulder pain. This is due to the way that laptops draw your head and shoulders forward. This position can lead to neck pain, muscle tightness in the shoulders, headaches, and even pain in the front of the shoulder joint.
The good news is that with a few simple adjustments you can avoid these issues or reduce them if you are already suffering.
Work at a desk or table rather than a couch. Set up your workstation as ergonomically and as similarly to your workstation in the office.
If you can, use a desktop computer or hook up a separate monitor to your laptop. This will allow you to separate the position of the screen from the keyboard. If you are able to do this the ideal placement of the monitor is elevated so that the top edge of the screen is at your eye level when sitting upright.
Take frequent breaks! No posture, no matter how good, should be maintained for too long. This is because the body’s tissues respond to movement and not to static positions. So set a reminder on your computer or phone to stand up every 30 minutes and do a quick stretch or a short walk around your home.
Perform these 2 simple exercises multiple times throughout the day.
Chin Tuck: While sitting or standing erect and looking straight ahead, draw your chin back as if you are giving yourself a double chin. Hold this for 5 seconds and repeat 10 times. Be sure that you are not nodding your head but rather just moving is straight backward.
Scapula Squeeze: While sitting or standing erect and maintaining your neck in a neutral position, squeeze the muscles between your shoulder blades by drawing them together. Hold this for 5 seconds and repeat 10 times
Exercise: During this time it is extra important to be exercising regularly for both your physical and mental health. As previously mentioned, your body tissues need stimulation in order to grow, repair, and maintain themselves. However it is highly likely that your usual fitness regimen has been disrupted with the closure of gym and fitness facilities and/or the closures of schools. Take this opportunity to work on the areas that you have been neglecting such as; cardiovascular exercise, core strengthening, or flexibility. You can also explore other forms of exercise such as yoga or pilates. You can find thousands of free offerings of these classes online which can be performed from the safety and comfort of your own home. You can also find exercise routines that require minimal equipment posted on your facebook page. When all else fails a perfectly acceptable form of exercise is to go for a walk. No matter what you choose, attempt to get at least 30 minutes of heart rate elevating exercise each day.
If you need a personalized exercise routine provided to you we offer digital fitness and meal planning and are providing the first week free of charge. Please reach out if this is something that interests you.
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