Working at a computer for long periods can be hard on your body, provoking a forward-slumped, jaw-jutting posture that may even lead to migraines and other health problems. At the very least, this kind of posture is uncomfortable and unsightly.
Just the act of sitting for long periods is hard on your body. Your lower back and hip flexors can tighten up and your quads loosen up. Since you’re probably working on a computer in front of you doing some word processing task in your Open Office suite or transferring files through your filezilla FTP client, your chest muscles tighten and your upper-back muscles loosen — again, contributing to the forward-slumped position so characteristic of desk workers and computer users everywhere.
But you probably can’t eliminate computer work entirely from your job; it might even compose the majority of your work. Here are a few things you can do to help ease the burden of this position on your body:
Get up and move frequently. Aim to take a short break and move around at least once an hour, although more is usually better.
Don’t use computers for work entirely, get into habit of listening to music and watching videos using some good media players like VLC that supports complex video codecs like Divx, Xvid, etc. Get into habit of watching more than listening because you won’t be touching your computer for the duration of the video.
Use computers by joining social networks and different communities where you can find your friends. Also try using some good P2P networks like Ares that allow you to join chat rooms while making it easier for you to get access to a huge data and digital media resources.
Use an egg timer to help divert any temptation to surf the web randomly. Set the timer for a set period during which you can concentrate only at the task on hand. Then allow yourself a brief break for surfing, if you must, before resetting the egg timer. This might help you finish your computer work earlier and give your body a much-needed break.
Stretch the tight muscles: Hip flexors, front of shoulders, chest, and lower back in particular.
Work the muscles that tend to loosen up. Think of doing leg extensions in your chair and scapular retractions to work the muscles that prevent a forward slump. Even better, do a few full-body exercises, like wall push-ups or squats, during your short stand-up break. Not only will this help limber up your entire body, but you might even build a bit of strength while you’re at it, too.