Tackle your tech neck
CELEBRITY TRAINER SAM WOOD’S TOP TIPS FOR RELIEVING THE STRAIN
FITNESS
As you read this you could be hunched over a mobile phone, laptop or iPad – and you could be contributing to a case of tech neck. Firstly, what is tech neck? It is a condition where we stress the muscles in our neck, shoulders, base of our skull, and even down the upper and middle back by all of the work we are doing on our devices.
The average Australian spends around five hours plus on a technical device every single day, which, to no surprise, results in us using forward head posture, which puts a lot of stress on our muscles. It can cause headaches, neck pain, pain in the shoulders, pain in the upper back, tingling or numbness in your hands, and even a loss of the natural curve of the spine in extreme cases.
If your head is forward and chin is down at a 45-degree angle looking down at your phone or screen, that is placing about 22kg of strain on your neck. Imagine a 22kg bag of potatoes hanging off your neck, five hours a day, in that same position!
Technology is here to stay, so we need to find ways to counteract this problem.
Making adjustments to reduce the stress on our body will not only relieve the physical limitations but also the mental limitations such as headaches, stress, and tension, which filters into other parts of our lives that are not enjoyable.
Here are some tips to help relieve tech neck:
1 Adjust your workstation
Make sure you are at 45 degrees at the hips and knees.
Check that your screen height is right. The top of your screen should be level with your eyes, so when you’re looking at what you’re working on your chin is level.
2 Your seat should never be upright
This is often overlooked. Leaning your seat to a 20-30 degree angle is the optimum position for your lumbar spine.
3 Take advantage of standing desks
For those working long hours of screen time, this is a great way to add some variety to a work day. Have your knees slightly bent, pelvis tucked under, and glute and tummy muscles activated, with your shoulders back.
4 Introduce more movement.
We need to get the blood flowing and add mobility throughout our day. Have a break from your workstation at least once every hour even if it’s just for a couple of minutes.
Walk to grab a coffee or go do a quick trip around the block when you can. Now that we are having warmer days, take advantage of the sunshine.
With the perks of technology we are lucky to have more access to online workouts. Taking time for a 10-minute workout will not only help you to incorporate more movement but also help you feel refreshed and energetic heading back to your desk.
Get creative! If you don’t have time to leave your desk there are simple ways to do easy exercises in front of your desk.
5 Reduce as much screen time as possible
Try to have your meetings in person, if possible. Try to do a walking meeting or have breaks in between to ensure you have time away from your desk.
6 Be proactive and strengthen
We can get tight chest muscles from poor posture or other pushing movements, which means our chest muscles shorten.
• Strengthen with chin tucks and some kind of row movement.
• If you’re strong between your shoulder blades, you can hold your shoulders back.
• If you’re strong in your neck muscles, you can hold your chin back. Both reduce your head moving forward.
• And lastly, stretch your pec muscles out, which will allow those short, tight chest muscles to go back with more ease.
Making small changes in your day-to-day life through adjustment, movement, and stretching and strengthening will reduce tech neck considerably and your body will thank you.
Sam Wood is a leading health and fitness expert with more than 20 years’ experience in the health and fitness industry. For more details or to join his program, visit 28bysamwood.com.au or follow him on Instagram @samjameswood.