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4 simple daily checks to be healthy at your desk job

4 simple daily checks for healthy desk work

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You've arrived at your desk, the computer's sprung to life and you're ready to start your tasks for the day. Before the emails start flying in and you find yourself glued to your screen, take a minute to run just four crucial checks that could make all the difference to your long term health.

With recent advice suggesting that sitting for any longer than three or four hours a day can be bad for us, the need to watch our own seated position and make sure we've got it right, is more important than ever. Just like brushing your teeth or remembering your five a day, these simple steps are worth remembering every single day.

4 simple daily checks for healthy desk work

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1. Adjust your chair

You would be amazed how soon the level of an adjustable chair can drop. Whether colleagues have borrowed it while you were out or it's just gone down over time, make sure it is set for your height. Your feet should be flat to the floor and the seat set so that your thighs are parallel to the floor.Your back should rest against the contours of the chair and your eyes should be looking straight ahead at your screen, rather than up or down.

Ideally you should be sitting with your feet on the floor before your knees, rather than twisted around your chair, and your head shouldn't need to twist to look at the screen.

4 simple daily checks for healthy desk work

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2. Check your screen distance

Your screen should be about 14 inches from your eyes. If you have to lean forward to see better you could do damage to your spine over time.

4 simple daily checks for healthy desk work

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3. Arms at your side

Check that you've adjusted your armrests so that your arms can be tucked into your sides with your elbows bent at 90 degrees.

This will help your wrists to work at the right angle to your body. Experts say that compressed wrist nerves over time can give us hand tingling and shooting pain otherwise known as carpal tunnel syndrome.

4 simple daily checks for healthy desk work

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4. Cross your ankles (if you must)

Leg crossing is fairly well documented as not ideal for our health, because it can restrict the blood flow in one leg and redistribute the weight of our pelvis to the other leg which can put pressure on the spine. If you find yourself crossing your legs, stop. If you really want to change the position of your legs try crossing them at the ankles instead.

Simple steps but ones that are easy to forget when we're busy. Perhaps 'chair, screen, arms and legs' is a useful reminder that will keep us healthy and happy at our desks over the longer term.

4 simple daily checks for healthy desk work

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