Month: January 2025

I’m frequently asked for advice on how to sit properly, especially when working at
a desk.

Searching online there are several ergonomic principles that are regurgitated time
and again:

• Screen should be at eye level
• Feet flat on the floor
• Back straight and supported
• Arms parallel to the floor
• Knees and elbows at 90 degrees
• Don’t slouch, don’t lean to the side and don’t lean forward

Whilst I wouldn’t say any of this is bad advice, I do think it is too rigid and makes people feel unnecessarily bad when they stray from it – which they invariably do.

I have news for you, EVERYBODY slouches. Slouching or being in an awkward position isn’t a problem, staying in those positions for hours on end for weeks, months or even years is what causes difficulties for our bodies.

So here are my top three pieces of sitting advice:

1. Regularly get up and move around. If you are experiencing pain you might need to get up every 30 minutes or less, if you are feeling fine I would still try to get up and at least once an hour. If you do have to sit for longer, for two, three or more hours at a time, you won’t suddenly fall apart. The human body is remarkably resilient, it can tolerate a lot of stress. But do be careful of this becoming your default.
2. Perform sitting movements. Being engrossed in work or whatever is on your screen can cause us to remain still for an unnaturally long period of time. Being aware of this we can gently mobilise our spines, shoulders, wrists or whatever else gets stiff or achy. Simply turn your neck one way then the other, cross your arms and twist your spine left and then right, then round your back forward and arch it back, make big circles with your wrists one way, then the other, now do the same with your ankles. You may have been told off for fidgeting as a kid but it is remarkably helpful for our musculoskeletal health.
3. Several times a day do a body check, that is, pay attention to how you are holding yourself, and if necessary, change it. For example, we often get drawn forward towards our screens instead of leaning back against our chairs. We all do it, the key is to notice and then correct it by shifting your bottom back in your chair and letting the back of the chair support you. If your shoulders are hunched up to your ears, congratulate yourself on noticing it, and let them relax back down.

    

Another question we are frequently asked is about ‘standing desks’. I am a fan but with a one caveat. Standing all day sounds torturous to me. What we really want is an ‘adjustable desk’, one that quickly and easily allows you to go from sitting to standing and vice versa. The variety and changes in position are where the greatest benefits comes from.

The key message that I want you to take from this article is that the human body is remarkably adaptable and resilient. But paying attention to how long you sit still and performing simple movements give it the best chance of functioning optimally, letting you get on with your life undisturbed by pain.

Jerry Seinfeld is one of the most successful comedians of all time and someone who knows a thing or two about achieving a goal. He is best know as the star and co-creator of his eponymous sitcom Seinfeld, which happens to be my all-time favourite show.

For me what sets Seinfeld apart from every other show was that each and every episode was funny, all 180 of them across nine series. It achieved unprecedented CONSISTENCY.

When asked by a young comic how he could achieve such a feat Seinfeld revealed a strategy that has become know as ‘Don’t Break The Chain’.  It is remarkably simple but effective, here’s what you do:

1. 1. Decide on your daily task. For Jerry it was the task of writing jokes. If you want to get stronger it might be 10 push ups, for overcoming injury it could be a 10 minute rehabilitation regime.

• Get yourself a big wall calendar and a big red marker. Every time you perform your daily task you can put a big red mark on the calendar.
• Before long you will have a chain of big red marks and your goal then becomes Don’t Break The Chain.

That’s it! Super simple but it works. It helped Seinfeld become one of the most successful comedians of all time and it can help you achieve your health, fitness & well-being goals too.

Make sure you choose an appropriate daily task, something that is challenging and will help you move the needle but is also achievable.

The strategy works because it helps you focus on the ‘process’, that is the daily task you have to perform, rather than the result which is sometimes beyond your control.

But as you perform your daily tasks and accumulate those marks on the calendar, chances are you will move ever closer to the goal you want to achieve.