3 Ways To Improve Your Desk Posture and support your gut health
Could your gut health be improved with posture?
We spend far too much time sitting at our desks every single day. Some of you are reading this right now at a desk – I’m writing this at one right now! It’s terrible for our bodies as sitting at a desk usually puts you in a compromised position. Specifically, you kind of naturally assume a bad posture. This involves an excessive arch in your lower back, rounding of the shoulders, and your head hanging forward. This combination puts a lot of stress on many muscles in your body, causing chronic pain, bloating and gut imbalances.
The ultimate solution is to spend less time at your desk – but this isn’t realistic for people who work at a desk all day. Instead, here are some ways you can subtly improve your desk posture and gut health while you work:
Get a back support cushion
A simple Google search will provide you with hundreds of results for back support cushions. In essence, they can be placed on your chair to caress and support your spine. When placed in the right spot, they allow your spine to reach its natural alignment. By sitting back against the cushion, you can remove the arch in your lower back and force your thoracic spine into extension. Instantly, you sit in a more upright position, improving your spinal posture and your digestion.
Raise your screen to eye level
Putting your screen at the same level as your eyes prevents you from hunching over or pushing your neck in front of your body. A huge problem for most people is their screen is low down, almost forcing them to lean forwards and look down at it. This leads to a forward head posture, which also causes rounding in the thoracic spine and shoulders. When the screen is at eye level, you can keep your neck in a more neutral position. Again, this prevents your upper back from rounding, improving your overall posture.
Apply some kinesiology tape
Kinesiology tape is popular in the athletic world, but it has daily uses as well. One of the benefits of this special tape is that it can force dormant muscles to become more active. Therefore, if you apply it to the right places on your upper back, you can get more activation from the muscles there. The best kinesiology tape will provide you with benefits for an entire day straight. As such, you can improve your posture as your upper back muscles can contract more, pulling your shoulders back into their proper alignment.
On their own, these three tips will help you see improvements in your desk posture – which will subsequently improve your health. Nevertheless, there’s one bonus point to always bear in mind: be conscious of your posture when you’re at your desk! Perhaps consider setting reminders every 30 minutes, prompting you to check your posture. Actively look to straighten your spine, roll your shoulders back, and avoid hunching over. By being more conscious of how you sit, you can prevent poor posture and get your body used to being in its proper position.