Sitting incorrectly can cause long-term problems with your spine, even muscles throughout your body. Check out this article of FittingChairs to learn all about how to properly sit in a chair.
How to Properly Sit at a Chair?
Frequently, we find ourselves reverting to unhealthy habits like hunching over our office desk keyboard, or slumping in our chair without proper lower back support.
It will make your back and body strain for a long period.
Knowing how to properly sit in a chair requires practice and is more difficult than you might imagine.
Here are steps for getting proper sitting posture at desk:
- Sit up straight and your spine should follow the lines of the backrest.
- Allow your shoulders and neck to relax naturally.
- Allow your feet to rest flat on the ground just under your knees.
- Keep your knees to be slightly lower than your hips or use a footstool.
- Support your back by sitting deep in your office chair and adjusting the backrest and lumbar support to your spine’s curve.
- Keep your thighs parallel to the floor.
- Keep your forearms extended horizontally and your wrists straight. When you put your hands on the keyboard, your elbows should be around a 90-degree angle.
- Keep your monitor approximately an arm’s length away and ensure the top of the screen is level with your eyes.
How to Adjust your Office Chair to get the Correct Sitting Posture?
If you already have an ergonomic desk setup and are feeling uncomfortable, it’s possible that you’re not utilizing it properly.
To get the most out of an ergonomic office chair, you’ll need to know how to sit in it and adjust it correctly.
These following guides will help you mastering how to fix posture:
Seat Height
Start with adjusting the seat height to make your office chair more comfortable. Your legs should be set at a 90-degree angle and your feet should be flat on the ground.
It’s better to use a footrest if your chair cannot be adjusted low enough.
Seat Depth
If your chair has an adjustable seat pan, you’ll want to make sure it’s adjusted properly as well.
Adjust the seat so that there is at least one inch between the edge of the seat and the back of your knees for achieving how to properly sit in a chair.
Backrest
The backrest of most chairs can be adjusted in a variety of ways. If your chair has a backrest, adjust it so that the lumbar area fits comfortably into your lower back.
Among, adjust the backrest tension to give you support and a better back while you move around freely.
Lumbar Support
Some ergonomic office chairs are built in the lumbar support , while others can allow you to adjust it.
The lumbar support should be placed near the base of your spine. Adjust the lumbar depth of your chair to your preference.
Armrests
When your arms are vertically against your sides, they should be at roughly elbow height.
If your armrests are adjustable in width or can pivot, adjust them until they are comfortable for you.
Headrest
Adjust the headrest on seats to the base of the back of your head. It should not feel as if your head is being forced forward or downward.
Tips For Better Ergonomic Sitting
Besides practicing how to properly sit in a chair with best posture for sitting at desk or how to use ergonomic chair, you also need to know these helpful tips:
- Make sure your legs aren’t crossed.
- Sitting with your legs crossed for an extended period of time can result in shoulder arthroplasty, or pelvic tilt.
- Allow both feet on a flat surface at all times.
- Keep your shoulders back and your back straight.
- Get up and move every hour.
- Do the best exercises for posture.
In this video of Jeremy Ethier – a famous Youtuber specializing in science body training, he has given two kinds of exercise with rep range and timing guidance that will help you partly in getting the hunchpack posture and reducing the effect of sitting too much.
If you sit in a non-ergonomic position for an extended amount of time, you will become uncomfortable.
- Don’t sit in the same position for too long.
- Stretch your shoulder regularly.
Invest In A Good Ergonomic Desk Setup
If you’re in the market for a new office chair, be sure it’s an adjustable ergonomic chair with the features that fits with you.
Indeed, when you have the correct ergonomic office chair, doing how to properly sit in a chair or maintaining excellent posture is much easier.
Ergonomic desk setup is designed on how to improve posture, comfort, support, and overall wellness.
Here are some criteria of office chair for getting an ergonomic desk setup:
Seat Height
Allows you to lower or elevate the seat to suit your own height. When sitting correctly, this helps you to maintain your feet flat on the ground.
Seat Pan Depth
Set how far forward or back you want the seat to go. Everyone is different. This is again in line with your size.
Backrest Height
Adjust the backrest height to match your spine’s natural curve.
The backrest should be placed much higher for taller persons compared to shorter people.
Lumbar Support
A fully adjustable lumbar support that ensures our spine’s natural’s’ shape is supported.
Swivel Base
A swivel base allows you to move around your office desk.
Back Angle
You can recline the backrest to relieve some of the pressure on your upper body.
Seat Tilt
For best comfort and positioning, tilt your seat to a comfortable angle for your pelvis while keeping your thighs horizontal to the ground.
Arm Support
Adjust the height and width of your office chair arms to match with dimensions of your desk, keyboard and your size.
Headrest
Properly situating the headrest relieves tension on the upper back, neck and shoulders.
See more:
- Why Is Sitting up Straight Uncomfortable?
- Why Ergonomics Is an Important Consideration
- How Often Might Ergonomic Training Be Offered in the Workplace?
Guides on how to properly sit in a chair are still essential somehow. Hope this article of FittingChairs has helped you much to get the best posture for sitting at desk.