Men with office jobs who has to sit a lot, how do you protect your legs and back?

17 comments

1. Sit on a higher chair. If your knees are placed below your hips your back will stay straight.

   Legs are fine if you walk every day.

   Both will benefit from working out. 30 min x 3 times a week.

2. Herman Miller or Steelcase chair, don’t settle for a generic office chair and especially not those shitty “gamer” racing chairs. Your lower back is at stake.

   Regular exercise helps too.

3. Take the stairs every single chance you get.

4. If possible switch to a standing desk

   I have had multiple back issues and I don’t like to sit. I have even stood against a wall in meetings rather than sit at a conference table.

   If you can’t stand, get up and walk around frequently.

5. Exercise. It saves my back.

6. I work out in the mornings.

   While on duty, it’s all about the Pomodoro method: 2hrs solid work, 10min break. Go for walks during lunch, and after work (weather permitting).

7. Work out in the mornings. Take as many walks as I can throughout the day.

8. Lift daily

9. Consistent exercise, getting up every hour and stretching for 5 minutes, also got something for my desk that let’s me switch to standing or sitting. A really good chair goes a long way as well.

10. I get up a lot for little walks and also got a standup desk.

11. Walking my dog, getting up and going outside frequently.

12. By not getting an office job. If I was in the office all of the time, I’d off myself. I enjoy traveling and being out in the field for work.

13. I live in a 4th floor apartment with no elevator. I walk to the bus stop. I go hiking at least every other Saturday.

14. With a sandbag barrier.

15. I bought (and subsequently expensed) a varidesk. Desk goes up, desk goes down. Works very well

16. Take walks from your desk. I’m lucky that my office has a good parking lot that’s the company’s unofficial walking trail. Standing up occasionally helps.

    I also got a lumbar pillow for my chair and that has helped me.

17. No amount of ergonomic do-dads are going to save your body. They make it less painful, but you need to stand up and stretch regularly.

    A chair with lumbar support isn’t going to make it viable to sit in it 8 hours a day without sustained damage to your body.