Now that so many people are permanently working from home, we've seen a rise in ergonomic products for your at-home office. We ourselves have found a ton of them that we love and we're currently upgrading our office furniture to be more ergonomic for the staff. Practicing what we preach and all. But one thing we've noticed during this office remodel is that this stuff is EXPENSIVE.
Of course, having good posture and ergonomics is easy (well, easier) when you have all the nice gadgets that help promote it. But what if like many of you out there don’t have the budget to help change these habits. What can we do with a generic chair, table, and just our laptops?
Today I'll be sharing some tips for creating an ergonomic at-home workstation on BUDGET. I'm talking about a real budget-friendly setup using things you probably already have at home.
So what can you do with what you have? To start, be mindful of your posture. Your own will is the best thing when it comes to posture and habit changes. Set a reminder on your phone to check your posture. Get up and walk around every 30 minutes. Leave yourself notes around the house to check your posture and reset.
The next thing you can do is pay attention to where you are sitting on your chair. Believe it or not, you actually should no
t be relying on the backrest of your chair. It makes your posture muscles lazy when you constantly use something else for support. Sit closer to the edge of your chair and only use the backrest when your muscles feel fatigued and you need a little rest.
You can also sit with your legs in a lunge position by throwing one foot forward and the other leg staggered back. Switch legs every so often as needed. Having your weight shifted forward on one leg forces your core to activate. This makes your legs and core do the work and take some of the stress and strain off of your back.
If you're working on a laptop, one of my favorite products is the MOFT laptop stand. I promise this is, in fact, budget-friendly. This laptop stand sticks to your laptop and has many different angles you can set your laptop to. It's only 25 dollars on Amazon and it's a huge gamechanger.
Where you position your computer monitor also plays a big role. Your screen should be about arm's length away from you. Be mindful of your arm position. Your arms should be tucked in clamped on your ribcage. If your arms need support, you can use a bath towel or a pillow under your elbows. I also like folding a small hand towel to use as a wrist support for my keyboard.
Give these quick tips a try and let us know if it's helped you be more comfortable!
Heal smarter, not harder!
Dr. Justin C. Lin
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