5 Ways to Make Sure Working From Home Doesn't Destroy Your Back

Modern lifestyle is characterized by sedentary behavior. It appears that 80% of the general population who probably sit a lot will go through some sort of back pain. Our lifestyle directly affects our health, both positively and negatively. In other words, we’re responsible for our wellbeing. Working from home due to the current health concerns over the pandemic will take its toll on our health and our back. Let’s analyze the ways we can implement during our daily work-from-home routine to save our backs.

Redirect your commute time

When we start working from home, we no longer have to spend a portion o our morning on our commute. Instead of using this time to sleep in and wake up 5 minutes before your shift, redirect it. You can use this time to take a walk around the block, jog or ride a bike. This intentional movement will wake you up better than any cup of green tea or coffee. Your body will be ready to tackle your daily tasks, your brain will become alert and you’ll even be more productive. Morning walks will also help you get your daily steps and keep your metabolism from slowing down. Lack of activity will eventually slow down your metabolism which results in weight gain. You can also take a walk when you need to wind down after particularly difficult days. Just remember to step outside with a mask on and keep your distance.

Work-pause ratio

The way you structure your work-hours can also affect your posture and your back problems. If you tend to sit through your entire work-shift without any planned breaks, any other physical activity you might have planned won’t reduce the effect of sitting. You probably get up several times a day just to go to the toilet or make your coffee. But, these 2-minute breaks just won’t work.

You should embrace the benefits of working for 25 mins and taking a 5-minute break. This is also known as the Pomodoro technique where you press pause every 25 minutes. After four cycles of working for 25 minutes and taking a break, you should take a longer break, between 15 to 30 minutes. Since your goal is to infuse your day with movement, you can do physical activity during your 5-minute break. Jump around, dance, jump rope, do crunches, lunges anything that maintains the movement flow.

Home office set up is important

Office setup is important both at your office and your home office. SO your back and legs should be at a 90-degree angle. Your chair should be comfortable and supportive. You monitor should be level with your eyes, so that you don’t put any strain on your neck. If you have room for that in your home, you should also try working while standing up. Alternatively, you can do your work while sitting down to take the pressure off your back but you should do it for short periods of time.

End your work-hours with a stretch

Once you clock out, turn all work-related apps, docs and sheets, turn off productivity tracker, you should stretch. Stretching improves your mobility, prevents back pain, reduces stress, and it will also improve your move. You can use it as a mental exercise to safely transition from work mode to chill-at-home mode. You can also do this with the help of an online physiotherapist. Most people have issues with their backs because they don’t know which exercises alleviate pain and reduce stiffness caused by sitting. Telehealth services are the new normal now and you should explore this option and improve your health. By now, you’re used to video calls so you should use this to talk to a physical therapist and make sure your current lifestyle doesn’t harm your back.

Embrace the No excuse exercise regime

A no-excuse exercise regime means that you need to exercise regularly to stop your body from falling apart. Basically, since you’ll be spending all this time at home, and the lines between work and home will definitely blur, you need to go out of your way to give your body the movement it craves. Our bodies are meant to move and not standstill. Your ultimate goal should be to spend at least 30 minutes of your day on moderate physical activity. This will maintain your levels of fitness, keep you active, and reduce the side-effects of sitting.

Consistency is the key to keeping both your mental health and physical health in check. You can exercise with weights three to four times a week. You can also include two high-intensity workouts with no or minimal equipment and do one freestyle activity. You can dance, jump rope, do yoga, pilates, or anything else that raises your heartbeat and makes you sweat a bit.

It’s also okay to slow down when you feel like you need a break from everything to sort out your thoughts and feeling about this awful pandemic. Take a day off from everything if you need a time out. Slowing down is also a legit self-care activity. But, remember the feeling you get after you exercise, walk, bike, run, and embrace it as a feel-good activity that keeps your back and your body safe from sitting.