Backups are important

A lot of us have back pain.  If we are injured, we just have to suck it up until it is healed, but the daily, free-range, garden variety back pain we can minimize with good habits.

What does our workspace look like?  Do we constantly have to slump forward to see our computer screens?  Do our chairs allow us to sit comfortably on our sit bones?  Do we still hold the phone between our shoulders and ears?  Many people pay attention to how keyboards affect wrists and hands, but all that other stuff is important, too.  Good sitting posture involves having our ears lined up over our shoulders, which are lined up over our hips, but most of us end up sitting with our heads jutting forward, our shoulders rounded, and our lower backs looking more Quasimodo than we would probably prefer.

Our cars aren’t much better.  Taking the time to figure out where the headrest should be to keep our necks in good alignment is worth it.  Consciously choosing to sit up straight helps.  Also, having a ball like a tennis ball or lacrosse ball or yoga ball to slide under a hip or roll on a thigh or stick between the seat back and the space between our shoulder blades can transform commute torture into something bearable for the body at least.

Finally, we need to remember our core.  We spend plenty of time, culturally, talking about abdominals for good reason:  they are a crucial part of our core.  However, the muscles of the back are also important.  Strengthening the erector spinae and the deep back muscles via exercises like back extensions and deadlifts will complete the core circle.

The posture exercises with the books on our heads are optional.