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Exercise has provided me with incredible benefits. It improves my strength, my breathing, and my computer posture. All of these are great for keeping me in shape.

My goals during exercise are pretty simple. Do body weight exercises and/or lift weights. For the last 15 minutes of my workout, I make it higher intensity. I don’t take any breaks in between sets. This helps to increase my breathing rate. This portion of the workout may not seem like a long one. But when you are constantly moving the whole time, it gets difficult and challenging quickly.

There are back exercises that can help relieve back pain, strengthen the back muscles, alleviate stiffness, and improve mobility.

There are also certain exercises that are not good for people with lower back pain. Triggering the wrong muscles, as well as straining the joints and ligaments, can worsen the lower back pain. Since we sit at a computer for long periods of time, we are already very likely to suffer from back pain.

So today, I’m sharing a roundup of back exercises that people with lower back pain should avoid. My articles are not medical advice. They are based on my personal experience and my opinions. Do your research. Make good decisions. And be the best advocate possible for your own healthcare.

Continue reading Back Exercises to Avoid with Lower Back Pain

Most people don’t realize how much time they spend looking down at a phone, or at their computer monitor, when in a seated position. I used to be one of these people.

These habits put extra strain on my neck and shoulders which led to poor posture, discomfort, headaches, and long-term alignment issues. It also lead to excessive muscle tension, chronic pain, and joint dysfunction.

Doing targeted neck posture exercises (both stretching and strengthening) helped me correct these issues and regain good posture.

In this article, I’m sharing a round up of neck posture exercises that helped me, which you can add to your routines.

Continue reading 10 Neck Posture Exercises

Stooped posture caused me excessive muscle tension. This tension led to chronic pain and joint dysfunction.

It didn’t matter if I would sit or stand, stooped posture stuck with me for years. It’s not necessarily the position my torso was in, it was the act of placing my hands on something in front of me (keyboard and mouse), then leaving them there for long periods of time.

Stooped posture is very common among office workers who sit at a computer for long periods of time.

It often develops gradually, due to long hours of sitting, poor ergonomics, back muscle weakness, or aging.

Many people do not realize they have developed a stooped posture until they begin experiencing neck pain, back discomfort, or limited mobility.

I’m dedicating this post to talk about what stooped posture is, and what someone can do to fix it, or even avoid it altogether.

Continue reading Stooped Posture

I want my ergonomic workstation to be an asset that promotes good sitting posture the second I sit in my office chair. I need monitor height, elbow height, knee angle, and foot position to be correct immediately.

So, I shouldn’t have to move my body into a good computer posture position after I sit. This kind of workstation would be a liability that causes computer-related injuries. Good sitting posture should happen more naturally, as soon as I sit down. This requires a computer desk setup that’s custom fit for each office worker.

Correct sitting posture for office workers can vary for different people. There’s no single, correct way for everyone to sit at a computer. Desk workers are different heights, arm lengths, leg lengths, torso lengths, etc.

I write about my experience with making poor computer posture mistakes in the past. I also write about how I fixed those mistakes, in an effort to heal my computer-related pain, and prevent future computer injuries.

Continue reading How to Improve Sitting Posture

Peer pressure had a negative effect on me many times.

It only had a positive, powerful effect on me once. But once is all it took.

At the end of March 2026, I’ll be 3 years alcohol-free.

It was never an addiction problem for me. It was more of an alignment thing. Or mis-alignment, I should say.

3 Years Alcohol-Free: The Power of Peer Pressure

In 30 years of drinking, I never took a sip of alcohol that tasted good.

Alcohol was always a means to get a result:

• To meet someone.
• To fit in.
• To make someone else happy.
• Or just to avoid the awkward question, “Why aren’t you having fun?”

Continue reading 3 Years Alcohol-Free: The Power of Peer Pressure

Having posture problems used to be complex for me. But I was surprised at how simple it was to make healthy changes to my ergonomic habits. Finding corrective exercises was easy, but practicing them consistently was the hard part for me.

Forward head posture is one of the most common poor posture problems today. Especially for those of us who work on a computer 8 hours a day.

Forward head posture fhp places extra strain on the neck and upper spine, which causes a number of uncomfortable and painful symptoms.

In this post, I’m sharing a guide on how to effectively and safely fix forward head posture that you can follow (and learn from my personal experience).

Continue reading How to Fix Forward Head Posture

Standing workstations allow office workers to use a computer comfortably, while in a physically active position.

Commonly referred to as standing desks, or sit stand desks, they allow us to use repetitive strain to our advantage, correcting bad habits that sitting has caused.

Sitting in an office chair for long periods of time makes us dominant on the posterior (back) side of our lower body.

Our hamstrings and gluteus muscles are overused and they shorten over time. Conversely, this causes the anterior (front) side of our lower body to become overextended.

Our quadriceps lengthen and get weaker from sitting for extended periods of time.

Sitting causes both posterior and anterior leg muscles to get weaker and more deactivated. Posterior tissues shorten, while anterior tissues lengthen. This causes a lot of muscle imbalance and confusion in the legs, as well as increased risk of injury during sports and exercise.

Continue reading Benefits of Standing Desk

Computer posture problems are prevalent nowadays. Especially with the excessive amount of external factors working against us. In my case, these factors included high-stress jobs, working under fake lights, eating ultra processed foods, and drinking water loaded with chemicals (just to name a few). All these affected my posture in a negative way.

More people are working at their desks with their hands constantly on a keyboard and mouse. On top of that, add looking down at a phone for hours a day (for more info, check out the article I wrote on tech neck prevention).

All of the above variables lead to rounded shoulders, forward head posture, and upper back pain. These types of posture mistakes are very common among computer users.

In this post, I’m going to talk about whether or not posture correctors really work.

Continue reading Do Posture Correctors Work?

Back pain is a serious issue for those of us who work on a computer for long periods of time. I used to suffer from back pain chronically when I sat at a computer 40 hours per week.

The back is a very complex muscle group. There are a lot of variables to consider. When the spine is not in a neutral position, the compression forces repetitive strain and overuse injuries much quicker than if we had good posture.

This article will talk about the pros and cons of sit-ups. It’ll also cover some substitute ab exercises I do when I have lower back pain.

Are Sit Ups Bad For Lower Back Pain

It’s also important to be careful in choosing the activities you do. After a long day of sitting, it might be a bad idea to do ab workouts that build core strength. The core muscles definitely need to be strengthened, but I usually did more harm than good when I did core exercises after sitting at a computer all day. Although it may not feel like it, my core muscles work all day long to support my torso at a computer. Working on a computer for long periods of time is an endurance event, regardless if we are sitting or standing. Going straight to a gym after work to do sit up repetition wasn’t the ideal balance for me. I always tried to do my core exercises on days that I wasn’t doing any work on a computer.

Why Is Corrective Exercise Important

As I’ve gotten into my mid-forties, I’ve noticed the lack of muscle growth and activation I was used to when I was younger. That elusive six pack is much harder to achieve as I’ve gotten older. The more I use my core muscles to support my computer posture for long periods of time, the more my abdominal muscles get tighter, weaker, and more deactivated. But these are just more reasons and more motivation to focus on my physical fitness. A huge variable of that is training my abdominal muscles effectively. Improving my core strength hasn’t been an easy task for me. Certain body movements and core exercises have made my back pain worse, sometimes including sit ups and crunches. So today, I’m dedicating this post on how sit ups can affect lower back pain.

Continue reading Are Sit Ups Bad for Lower Back Pain?

Before I fixed my computer posture in 2011, lower back pain took a beating on my quality of life.

My lower back was like the middle of a rope during a tug-of-war. But it wasn’t 2 human teams competing against each other.

Instead, it was my tight upper back and shoulders on one team. The other team was my tight hamstrings and deactivated glutes. And my lower back was being pulled apart, causing hyperextension of multiple muscles.

Heat therapy has helped me with certain types of lower back pain. But its effectiveness depends on the cause of the pain. Improper use can worsen some conditions.

I’m dedicating this post to talk about whether or not heating pads are good for lower back pain (in my experience). Nothing in this article is medical advice. I simply talk about my own personal experience. Do your research. Make good decisions. Talk to a doctor. But be the best advocate for your own healthcare.

Continue reading Is A Heating Pad Good For Lower Back Pain

Chronic back pain is such a conundrum for me. Especially with my history of poor posture at a computer. It’s never an easy fix.

But I’ve learned to take certain ergonomic steps that prevent working in an awkward position.

My back pain isn’t always caused by spinal damage. It’s often caused by muscular tension and imbalance.

Because sitting for long hours can lead to tight muscles, which definitely contributed to my back pain.

This post will to talk about how stiff and tight muscles resulted in back pain. It’ll also talk about how I relieve back pain from stiff and tight muscles.

Continue reading How Can Stiff And Tight Muscles Result In Back Pain

The psoas muscle is very complex. It doesn’t work like a typical muscle. The psoas muscle attaches to multiple vertebrae in the lumbar spine. A typical muscle has a tendon on each end that connects it to a bone. The general psoas muscle is made up of a psoas major and a psoas minor. We have one of these on each side of our spine.

At its highest point, the psoas muscle begins at the lumbar vertebrae. It runs downward through the area of the hip flexors. At its lowest point, the the psoas attaches to a tendon on the back side of our upper leg, which also adds to the complexity of it. The tendons of the psoas all connect in the posterior (back) side of the body. However, the psoas muscle uniquely travels through the anterior (front) side of the body.

How To Sit With Psoas Pain

When the psoas contracts, it allows us to rotate the hip externally. It also gives the ability to life your leg, as well as move it laterally. The psoas muscle is a major force that helps the spine and legs move together effectively. It’s a major force when it comes to any full body movement like running and squatting.

It also provides a large amount of stability that helps us keep our spine and torso upright. This is a crucial variable required to sit for long periods of time with good computer posture. The psoas muscle is one of the few muscle groups that connects our upper body to our lower body. Sitting can affect the psoas muscle because it is very prone to overuse. The average computer worker is at a desk 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week, 2000 hours a year. That’s a massive amount of repetitive strain, regardless if we are sitting with good or poor computer posture. When we sit for long periods of time, it can cause a tight psoas.

Continue reading How to Sit with Psoas Pain

Neutral posture ergonomics have been a valuable part of my day to day life since 2011. Before that, I’d make multiple computer posture mistakes. None of my joints were in a neutral position back then. None of them! Not a single one!

Neutral postures have been the foundation of my injury prevention, comfort, and productivity. This is especially true for desk workers, remote employees, and anyone performing repetitive tasks.

Having good posture at a computer is often confused with sitting up straight. Sitting up “too straight” can be a very bad thing. It’s also known as overcorrecting, which is an overlooked posture mistake. And it can cause musculoskeletal disorders just as easily as slouching forward can.

I’m dedicating this post to explain neural posture ergonomics, how to get joints in position, and how much it’s helped improved my physical health, mental clarity, and work productivity.

Continue reading Neutral Posture Ergonomics

Symptoms of sciatica can include inflammation, irritation, pain, numbness, or tingling of the sciatic nerve. A number of places could be painful including the back, butt, or legs. In my experience, sciatic pain has ranged anywhere from light discomfort to incredibly sharp, shooting pain.

Sciatica can become debilitating in extreme cases. It happened to me once. The sciatic pain felt like a knife stuck in my back. I couldn’t walk. I was stuck in bed for almost 2 days. It hurt even to roll over in bed. I ended up going to the emergency room for it. I was out of work for about 10 days.

It’s hard to believe that sitting for long periods of time causes this extreme sciatica pain. My poor sitting position definitely contributed to my shooting pain. There were many reasons. I had an old office chair that didn’t fit me well. I never used a standing desk back then. Also, I would sit for long periods of time without taking breaks. This led to my most overused muscles and tissues lacking blood flow. My lumbar spine was not properly supported. I didn’t have an ergonomic chair that included lumbar support. I never sat with proper posture because I didn’t know how to do it.

Continue reading How to Sit Comfortably with Sciatica Nerve Pain

Working too long on a computer is the worst. Our bodies were designed to get into that position. But they weren’t designed to stay there long term. Speaking from experience, this results in chronic discomfort and pain.

Ergonomic devices matter for people who use a computer for long periods.

Poor ergonomics can lead to repetitive stress injuries rsis, back, neck and shoulder pain (just to name a few).

These can lead to lower productivity in the long run, due to physical pain, less energy, and low mental clarity.

Investing in ergonomic equipment, that’s designed to reduce the risk of computer pain, can significantly enhance comfort and performance.

Continue reading 8 Ergonomic Devices For Computer Use

The American office worker spends an average of 40 hours per week sitting at a computer desk. That equals 2,000 hours per year. If someone had a desk job for 20 years, that equals 40,000 hours of loading on the spine in poor sitting postures.

Poor posture can eventually cause injuries if not corrected early on. The sooner these poor sitting postures can be corrected, the less severity of posture related injuries from computer use will occur.

I used to have an office job at a large company. Along with myself, the number of co-workers who were affected by musculoskeletal disorders from computer use was staggering. When I first started my blog, I would get emails from co-workers that I didn’t personally know. But we all sat at the same desks, in the same office, for long periods of time. They would ask for advice or help with their common computer-related injuries. I’d give them my favorite ways that I improved my different sitting postures. Before long, a large percentage of my co-workers were interested. In order to prevent musculoskeletal disorders from computer use, the first step I would recommend is to learn proper sitting posture. That’s why I created a free ebook. You can download it at SittingPosture.com/ebook.

Continue reading Posture Injuries from Computer Use

Sitting for a long time can cause computer pain, regardless of what position I’m in. Even if my posture is perfect, pain doesn’t care. It cares about how long I’ve constantly activated my chronically overused postural muscles.

That’s why different sitting positions matter when it comes to comfort, long-term health, back pain prevention, work productivity, mental clarity, and energy levels.

It’s not uncommon for office workers to grind out computer work while long sitting. A similar sitting position is common when they commute to and from work, travel, during leisure time on the couch, the list goes on…

Poor postures often lead to strain or discomfort.

In this article, I’m sharing a round up of specific sitting positions. It’ll also include useful tips on good posture and avoiding pain when sitting.

Continue reading 8 Types Of Sitting Positions

We use intention and pay attention to the way we move during work hours. We overlook the fact that sleeping in the proper position can also help improve a person’s good posture.

There are many benefits of recovering in a good sleeping position. We rest better, recover better, and wake up feeling refreshed.

Sitting with good posture at a computer desk for 8 hours is an endurance event. It takes strength, energy, and balance. The less our sleep quality is, the quicker we get tired the next day. The earlier we get tired in the day, the quicker our good posture turns into bad posture. Conversely, using more healthy sleeping habits will directly improve the posture we have throughout the next work day.

How to Sleep for Better Posture

Sleeping with bad habits can easily cause muscle tension issues and repetitive strain injuries. To improve your sleep quality, practice these good sleeping habits to prepare the body for a good night’s rest and recovery.

How to Choose a Good Pillow

My personal choice of pillow has both a medium density and a medium thickness. It’s not too firm, so it doesn’t feel like I’m resting my head on a hard foam yoga block. It’s also not too soft or too thin, which wouldn’t support my head, neck, and spine correctly. The medium density, medium thickness type of pillow that is ideal for me supports both my neck and head when I’m sleeping on my back. When I sleep on my side, I will fold the same pillow in half, doubling the thickness of the pillow, which is perfect for keeping my neck and spine straight and well supported (which avoids neck pain). We’ll talk more about each sleeping position later in this article.

Does Sleeping Without A Pillow Improve Posture?

I’m going with “no” on this one. I’d never try to sleep without a pillow. I just don’t see how it would keep my neck aligned. I always use the additional support of a pillow.

Continue reading How to Sleep for Better Posture

Even perfect posture can cause pain. It’s not what position we are working in. It’s how long we are working in that exact same position. Because keeping muscles chronically activated causes repetitive strain and overuse injuries.

It’s not uncommon to experience discomfort or pain when we first try to sit or stand up straight. This can make fixing your posture feel counterintuitive. It may lead to confusion about out whether good posture is really healthy, or if it is doing more harm than good.

We need to understand that the pain is usually temporary, but can still lead to long term issues. This issues are caused by muscle imbalances, inactivity, or incorrect posture.

Posture correction can help encourage us to fix our posture, despite the pain.

In this article, I’m going to talk about why good posture hurts and how to improve posture without causing pain.

Continue reading Why Does Good Posture Hurt

I’ve been practicing something I call “low-toxic living” since January of 2024. 

It has to do with minimizing the toxins that get inside my body. It also includes various ways to detoxify, and eliminate, toxins that have been in my body for many years.

As office workers, the cards are stacked against us. We work high-stress jobs, while being trapped indoors. 

We rarely see the sun, or touch the soil of the Earth. Instead, we touch cars, concrete, and the soles of our shoes.

We work under fake lights, staring into a neon monitor screen, breathing in dust that falls from ceiling tiles, all day long. Standard office culture is a toxic lifestyle.

Continue reading Low-Toxic Living for Better Computer Posture