A morning stretch can set you up for the day
Don’t let working from home harm your spine
WORKING FROM HOME has advantages – a shorter commute, a relaxed dress code – but your workstation setup would probably have a chiropractor coming out in a cold sweat. Hunched over a table? Only getting up to put the kettle on? You’re on a fast track to a bad back. ‘If you slouch when you sit, you will slowly be causing soft-tissue changes and elongating muscles, which pull on your spine,’ says backpain specialist Nichola Adams (inspiredergonomics.com). ‘Lengthened muscles get tired more easily, with the slouch squashing our discs.’ Movement is the remedy, but when we’re all limited to just an hour outside, you may need to get more creative. See left for three posture-improving exercises you can do while at your desk.