Working from home has it’s perfect. I can sit around in my jammies and bunny slippers all day if I want. I can have breaks for as long as I want, whenever I want, and I don’t have to deal with driving in inclement weather.
My “job” is being a blogger (along with being mom and a mini-zoo keeper). As a blogger I sit at my desk all day long (when I’m not cooking, cleaning and running errands of course). I have to admit that my posture at my desk would make any chiropractor cry. I am always slouched over my keyboard. I never sit up straight. I know I should. I have made a conscious effort to do so but after a few minutes I’m bent over again like Quasimodo. I probably look a lot like Edgar E. Gore from the movie Frankenweenie (in theaters now!) when I sit at my desk. Ha Ha.
Humm… I think I do feel a lump on my back too. 
Seriously, I have tried to force myself to sit correctly. It works for a few minutes then I slump back over like a rag doll.
Having poor posture while sitting does have a downside. It causes you to have a lot of lower back pain and discomfort. Recently, when flying back from a press trip to LA back to NY my lower back was killing me so badly that I had to move towards the front of the chair so I could sit up straight. I ended up tucking my travel bag behind me just to prop myself up. It wasn’t the most ideal situation either considering that the man in front of me had his chair pushed all the way back and I was watching a movie on TV. The screen was literally inches from my face. It was a loooooooooooooong flight home. Sigh…
My father used to experience back problems when he worked at his desk for many hours at a time. To combat bad posture he purchased some kind of medieval torture device that had his kneeling and sitting at the same time. It looked similar to this char (photo from Cheaper-Furniture.com).
Someone once recommended sitting on an exercise ball instead of a chair. That was supposed to improve your posture because you would have to find a way to balance yourself on the ball at all times. While it might work in theory I found it difficult to sit up straight on the ball and get work done. I had a hard time trying to convince myself that it wasn’t one of those bouncy balls with the handles that I used to ride on when I was a kid.
FYI… don’t try to bounce around on an exercise ball without a handle. Trust me on that one. I rolled off and knocked my forehead on the side of th desk.
What else is out there to help you sit up properly while working at the desk, driving or anywhere else you need to sit long periods of time?
There is a nifty product on the market called BackJoy. BackJoy is a plastic “seat” looking thing (it reminds me of the bucket seats in my brother’s old Ferrari). It’s plastic “seat” with a curve to it. You are supposed to sit on it while working at the desk, or seated for a long time. It’s suppose to force you to sit up properly and not to slouch over.
The BackJoy did come with instructions but of course I didn’t read them. When does anyone read instructions? For the record – READ THE INSTRUCTIONS!
The first few times I used the BackJoy it was REALLY uncomfortable. So much so that I was going to toss it to the dog and let him use it as a giant chew toy. Then I had a light bulb “ah-ha moment” – read the directions. After reading the instructions I had a better understanding on how to sit on the BackJoy (I was sitting on it completely wrong).
Even after reading the instructions I found the BackJoy to be a bit uncomfortable. It wasn’t so much the product it’s self that was bothering me, it was sitting upright and proper. It was something totally foreign to me and my body was not used to it.
Here is a video I found that shows you the PROPER way to sit on a BackJoy.
BackJoy helps your to pelvis and spine to be in the proper position, thus relieving strain on your lower back.
From my experience I can see how the BackJoy works. It just takes a bit of time to get used to sitting differently. I’ve been using the BackJoy for several weeks. It took at least 2-3 weeks to get used to it. Now I don’t feel it as much as I used to. I haven’t noticed much difference in any back pain yet but I do know the I am not slouched over my lap top like the Hunchback of Notre Dame anymore.
The only “downside” to BackJoy is that it takes some getting used, which is not a product flaw but more so a personal flaw. After sitting incorrectly for my entire life it it going to take time to train myself to sit otherwise.
Another downside is that BackJoy should come in different sizes to accommodate those of us with a “big booty”.
If you would like to learn more about BackJoy visit www.BackJoy.com. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter (@BackJoy).
Kimberly
*I received a free product sample in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and are not influenced in any way.
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