Your pelvis… Do you know where your sits bones are?

Prior to this pandemic, your office set-up was probably pretty sweet. You had all the comfy, ergonomic extras that kept your body well enough to keep working long hours.

Flash forward to 2020 …with a COVID-19 new normal has forced us to work from home. You’re now conducting that quarterly report at the dining table, with the laz-y-boy and ottoman pitching in as convenient office decor. On top of that, there are constant distractions, whether it’s the kids, what’s for lunch/dinner, and all the rest of those charming domestic demands.

This equates, invariably, to a ‘new stress’ on our bodies, as it’s a new way of working and operating in life. We’ve all had our best ergonomic & postural practices flipped on its head.

And for many, there is no end in sight.

It begs the question, how can this new, work-from-home lifestyle be better, for me; my body AND my health? Will I let my work routine actually improve my posture? More importantly, can a person ever ‘go back’ to living life pain-free at the desk?

We are all looking for the answers to these questions, and we need them now, not later.

How can an ergonomics coach help?

During my 20 years working in the workplace wellness industry, I’ve helped many people improve the way they sit and work. Usually it’s not hard to picture exactly how their desks are set up and how they are sitting based on their complaints alone. Ergonomic coaching had served as a nice compliment to the regular upper-body massages they had been receiving, to help prevent build-up of tension and repetitive motion injury.

During my one-on-one coaching, I do 2 things:
1) Take care of the low hanging fruit first.
It’s the obvious, no-brainer stuff that is easy to fix and doesn’t affect the other set-up. Some fixes, however, are more complex so I focus on #2 below then return to making desk adjustments step by step.
2) Teach a correct way to sit on any chair.
This is a tougher one, but it’s not for the reason that you might think. This is where I coach people on a no-tension way of sitting. No more “sit up straight”, or “bring your shoulders back!” How overwhelming and exhausting! It doesn’t have to be.

A no-tension way of sitting:

While slouching and leaning way back onto your chair feels “relaxed”, there are long term negative effects on your spine from sitting this way. On the other hand, when you try to avoid this by straightening your back for the entire day, you will wind up achey because this inevitably fatigues the muscles. It sounds like a losing situation either way! But what if you could learn something about your body mechanics that you didn’t think about before, that would allow you to sit without tension? What if this shift was simple and easy to learn?

Turning the focus from the external to internal

Just as a mask is not your immune system during this pandemic, your upscale ergonomic office chair is not your healthy back. Turning the focus onto yourself and getting connected to yourself will give you a higher return on investment. It also means it won’t cost you $1000.00 for a new chair or keep you struggling just to be pain-free.

I do group Zooms and one-on-one coaching on this topic. To learn more, please reach out by sending me an email at info@touchwellness.com.