Let's Get Straight: The How and Why of Un-Slouching

I'm thrilled to kick off our LinkedIn newsletter, and I hope you join me as I dive into a treasure trove of tips, tricks, and colorful stories, all aimed at making your journey a little smoother. As the Roman poet Virgil famously once said, 'The greatest wealth is health,' so what better subject is there to start?

Sitting for long hours with poor posture has always been a literal pain in my neck. As someone in the tech industry, I somehow feel responsible for this curse. That's why I'm here to share some helpful tips to improve your posture and take better care of the only place you have to live: your body.

Lean back:

Sticking my head into my monitor is a common habit that I struggle with daily. It's important to sit up straight and resist the urge to hunch over your screen. Consider placing a large mirror near your workspace to check your posture.

Shoulders down:

We often shrug our shoulders without even realizing it. Simply relaxing them is not enough, as we tend to hold tension in this area. Make a conscious effort to push your shoulders back and down, training them to stay in their proper position.

Neck up:

Laptops, cellphones, cracks on sidewalks - we never get a chance to look up. If that neck could talk, it would sue us for years of abuse. When you sit upright and your head is level, the center of your screen should line up with your eyes. I strongly recommend using a monitor stand or an adjustable monitor mount. Using a laptop? Most laptops can connect to an external monitor easily. Avoid staring down at your laptop screen for hours!

Keep it at 90-degrees:

Your forearms should be at a 90 degree angle with your upper arms. If you find them too low or too high you need to adjust your chair and keyboard location. If find height adjustable computer desks are needed to get things perfect. If you are not looking for anything fancy here is a good option.

Stretch every 30 minutes:

Rule of thumb is to stretch 30 seconds for every 30 minutes you sit. The internet is full of different stretches, here is my favorite one.

Take good care of you, especially your spine. As Socrates once said “if you would seek health, look first to the spine”.

Have an aligned week till we meet again,