Working in the office and at the desk usually means sitting for hours and hardly moving. However, desk work is only felt physically not strenuous – for the body itself, sitting for hours every day is a burden. A frequent consequence is back problems and tension. However, this can be avoided with an ergonomic way of working at the desk and a little movement.
Why is exercise important in the office?
Experts advise you to bring enough exercise in everyday office life.
The human body is anatomically designed for movement and not for long periods of sitting. This generally applies to health, although there are two different problems: a lack of exercise on the one hand and the anatomical challenge of sitting on the other.
The lack of exercise leads to problems with the cardiovascular system and to a weak constitution, which in turn makes long periods of sitting even more difficult. This is why people who often sit at their desks in the office and work with the computer experience numerous complaints such as back pain and tension in the neck and shoulder area.
The way you sit, the chair, the table, and even the monitor also play a role.
An ergonomic office workstation can do a lot to avoid the risk of back problems and tension. Basically, however, exercise is the most important thing. This also applies to exercise as a balance, but a lot can be gained with just a little exercise in the office itself.
How can you bring more movement into everyday office life?
Going to the office by bike is a healthy alternative and gives your body the necessary exercise.
It starts with climbing stairs instead of taking the elevator, or even before that, cycling instead of the car or public transport.
The possibilities to do this depend just as much on the individual circumstances as the possibilities to get yourself some movement in the office.
In any case, you should regularly take shorter breaks, during which you get up and just walk a few steps, stretch or even do a few stretching exercises. You shouldn’t be afraid to take a walk through the office building or just walk up and down the corridor. It is advisable to get up at least briefly after every hour that you have spent sitting and to walk around the office a bit or to stretch.
In practice, however, there are also a lot of activities in which you can get up briefly and also walk around a little, such as talking on the phone while you gather your thoughts or work out a concept. Conversations and even meetings do not have to be held while sitting, the latter being more a question of general organization and less of individual possibilities.
What should a good office chair bring?
The intervertebral discs can be ideally relieved during long and strenuous sitting work by the basic function of the locking mechanism.
The intervertebral discs can be ideally relieved by the basic function of the rocking mechanism during long and strenuous sitting work.
A good office chair should bring a lot with it because it is logically the central factor when it comes to healthy sitting. It should have many different setting options so that it can be individually adapted. This is especially true for fine adjustments to the back, arm or neck rests. The backrest should always have an ergonomic shape. In other words, a shape that adapts to the natural shape of the back and supports it. Ideally, there is also lumbar support. In addition, the office chair should not be too small or too tight to enable dynamic sitting.
How do you sit healthily?
First of all, there should be enough space and freedom of movement around the office chair and the legs should also have some leeway. The following are important for optimal adjustment:
- the angle between the upper body and thighs should be around 120 degrees
- the knees should be bent at a 90-degree angle
- there should be around 5 centimeters of space between the hollow of the knee and the seat
- the feet should be placed flat on the floor
- between the thighs and the edge of the table have some freedom of movement.
- when the arms are on the armrest, shoulders, and neck should be relaxed
- the armrest should be in line with the table surface
In addition, a certain dynamic when sitting is very beneficial. In particular, not to stay in one position for too long and, if possible, to move while sitting and take up different sitting positions