While some aspects of life have gone back to normal, many of us are still working from home. Setting up as you may have for the odd work from home day at the dining room table or kitchen island may have become a more permanent set up.
Manulife recently posted these quick tips to avoid aches and pains and trouble shoot your work from home arrangement. These simple tips can help create a healthy at-home work environment with no special equipment required.
Sit all the way back. Avoid perching on the edge of your chair as it can add strain on your body
Put your feet flat on the floor. If your chair isn’t adjustable, put a box or books under your feet. Ideally, your knees should be slightly below hip level.
Use a chair with armrests. Positioning your elbows at 90 degrees and resting your elbows on arm rests helps keep your shoulders relaxed.
Keep your keyboard close. Reaching out to type puts strain on your neck, shoulders, arms, and wrists.
Keep your screen at eye level. The top four to six centimetres of the screen should be right in your line of sight when you sit up straight. Placing a sturdy box under the monitor should do the trick if you need to raise it. If you’re working on a laptop with no additional monitor, but you have a keyboard and mouse, rest your laptop on a raised surface to get it at eye level. Keep the screen an arm’s length away from your face and the keyboard close to the edge of the table.
Take breaks. Make sure that you’re walking around or stretching every 30 minutes.
Easy Hacks:
Use your TV as a monitor for a big-screen experience if you have an HDMI connection
Create your own stand-up desk by putting a sturdy box or small pile of books on your kitchen counter, rest your laptop on it, and add a keyboard and mouse. Elbow height should be level with the working surface.
Here are some quick videos for additional support: