During this difficult time, lots of people are working from home.

Many are struggling trying to find that comfort working from the comfort of their own home. If you are new to working from a home office you will want to review your set up.

Find below some recommendations from Osteopath MP Aude Chaumont to keep you feeling well.

Sitting position: be at the good height

If you can adjust your chair: minimum of 90° between your chest and your thighs with your feet flat on the floor.

If < 90°, your knees are higher than your hips level your psoas (hip flexor) will get tight and will pull lower back forward when you will stand up. You could also experience lower back pain.

Have your knees relaxed and bent at 90°

If you just have a classic chair, it has to have a back support and you can adjust the height by using pillows. Be careful to put the pillow under your buttock close to the chairback. If under your thighs you might decrease the natural lordosis of your lower back.

Support the lower back and avoid to be slouched at your desk

Think back support!

If you can adjust your chairback, adjust it in a seated position where the chairback supports the natural lordosis and maintains your lower back.

If you have a classic chair, you can put a pillow between the chair and your lower back.

If you bend your lower back forward, you will use more energy to keep the rest of your body in a good position.

If you slouched forward, you will add to much pressure on your visceral organs and this might affect the way they work properly.  With time this may cause problems such as constipation or poor circulation.

• Breathe

If you are slouched, your diaphragm won’t be able to expand properly. This results in shallow breathing and could generate some stress.

It is very important for this muscle to be able to move properly. Its movement is like a natural massage on the organs below aiding in the digestive movements. Overtime this shallow breathing can result in constipation and other digestion difficulties.

Moreover, this lack of mobility can be responsible for circulatory trouble. When organs add too much pressure on the pelvis it can then affect the circulation of the legs, possibly leading to cramps and weakness of the legs or other troubles with the veins of the legs.

 Don’t compress the back of your knees

If you have an adjustable seat, adjust the seat depth.

If not, you can add pillows behind your lower back to move you forward.

• Rest your forearms

Your elbows have to be bend at 90° and rest on the armchair to keep your shoulders relaxed. If you don’t have support, your shoulders will be in tension to support your elbow’s weight. If you don’t have armchairs it is important to put your elbows on the table or desk but be careful to not put your shoulders too high.

If your table is too high you can increase your height by adding a pillow under your buttocks but always respect the position of the lower body (legs relaxed and feet on the floor). If you can, add a support under your feet.

If your table is too low you can add a support under your elbows.

Always try to find a good balance between your upper and lower body to adopt the most natural position.

• Good work environment

• Keep the object that you are using on a daily basis close to you.
• Your table must allow you to keep your shoulders relax along your body, your elbows bend at 90° and resting on support with your wrist horizontally with preferably a wrist rest under the wrist using the mouse.
• Your screen must be in front of you at eye level.
• If your work on a laptop and if your table is too low, add some books under it. The screen must be between 50-70cm from your eyes. If to close, your eyes will get tired faster.
• The light should not be too dark or too strong. Avoid direct light on your screen since it could create on-screen reflection and over visual stimulation.

Last recommendations for a good working from home:

• Drink water and take breaks regularly
• Remember to breathe with your diaphragm! (take deeper breaths)
• Check your position from time to time and make sure you maintain good posture (back, shoulders relaxed).
• Stop your activity if you start experiencing too much tightness, walk a little, stretch, take a short break (active break).
• Do a stretching session at the end of each workday or during your lunch break. Also do some muscle strengthening if possible. It is important to stretch your shoulders forward and backward to prevent upper body tension. For lower back tension: stretch your psoas and piriformis muscles first.

Everyone knows that fitness is important to health. Especially when wanting to lose weight. Without the application of exercise weight loss will not happen very successfully. Being fit is highly desirable. However, if you have slipped away from regular activity, or are wanting to try a new or harder type of exercise there are often some obstacles that get in the way,

The biggest challenge is usually just getting started. You CAN do it!

The next barrier that many people come up against is pain. This can make working out a little less inciting. The soreness in the muscles that you get the day or two after an intense work out is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS for those in the line of bodywork). It happens because of your building muscle! It is also due to lactic acid, a by-product of exercise. A few tips on minimizing this:

1. Find a good trainer. Someone that will work with you at your level. Too much too soon will cause more soreness. Start slow and build gradually. Working out doesn’t have to hurt.
2. Have a good work out. One that includes a warm-up, cool down and stretching. A trainer can help with this
3. Stay hydrated. If you’re sweating more you need to replace your fluids. Drink more water. It’s simple, so do it.
4. Eat well. If you’re not getting enough of certain minerals (magnesium, potassium, calcium) or electrolytes you can get muscle cramps. A proper diet is also important to support muscle development, a changing metabolism, and increased demand for energy. I always recommend working with a professional, like a holistic nutritionist, that will help you meet your individual needs and save you the guesswork.
5. A contrast shower. After a work out have a hot shower, finish the last 30 seconds with cold water. This will help to “flush” out the lactic acid.
6.  If you missed the first 5 points and are sore the next day have a hot bath with half a cup of Epsom salts, a hot tub, or sauna.
7. Practice good form. This is where a good trainer can help. It is so much better to do an exercise correctly, slower, and with less intensely once, than to do it fast or with poor form 10 times to avoid injuries. Pilates is excellent for bringing body awareness.
8. Address injuries. Generally, movement is good the body, but if something hurts more than a little, check you’re technique. If it hurts a lot, listen to your body; don’t do it. Have someone help you resolve and rehabilitate completely from your injuries. This is where I highly recommend Osteopathy. Osteopathy can help to restore proper body mechanics, improve circulation, reduce pain, and promote healing. It helps you get to the cause of injuries that can slow you down.
9. Rest. This is important to allow your body time to recover, repair muscle and injuries. By rest I mean sleep. If you practice good sleep habits and still don’t sleep well you may benefit from having an Osteopath Manual Practitioner help balance your nervous system.

Pain is a signal from your body to change what you’re doing or to address an injury. The sooner you deal with pain the sooner you’ll enjoy the activities you want to do. Work with professionals that understand the body. Your health is an investment: Take care of your body and your body will take care of you.

Now that summer is in full swing, the sandals are out and with that comes a change in footwear, are your feet ready for the change?

We keep our feet bundled and contained in shoes for most of the year, that when we do get to slip into sandals we notice the heavy wear and tear we’ve put them through. If we don’t take the time to properly care for our feet it can be harmful and small problems can lead to bigger medical issues.

Pedicures are a great way to provide basic care for our feet – and the plus side is that pedicures are not just for women they are for anyone and everyone who wants to take care of their feet!!! A pedicure is beneficial not just aesthetically or cosmetically – if performed by a trained professional such as a Podologist you can take a pedicure above and beyond and receive a well-rounded treatment and learn a lot about your health!

A Podologist looks at the skin and the nails and can provide you with a treatment that is above what a regular salon can provide based on the specific training they receive. They can treat your callus, corns, ingrown toenails, fungal toenails and more with their knowledge and help you understand the health of your feet.

In addition there are several benefits to regularly getting a pedicure:

1. Early detection of problems – A podologist can help you catch the early signs of corns, bunions, and fungal infections. These conditions are very easily treatable, especially when identified in the early stages.
2. Decrease changes of infection – properly cutting, filing, and cleaning the toenails can prevent them from growing inward and can eliminate infection. Removing dirt and bacteria from your feet can also help prevent nail diseases and disorders such as fungal toenails. Keeping the nails at a healthy length can also prevent trauma to the nail which can also lead to infections.
3. Helps to preserve the skins moisture – by soaking in warm water and essential oils or salts can help preserve the moisture and integrity of your feet. Moisturized feet are less prone to blisters and cracks. Keeping cuticles moisturized can help prevent against ridges and splits in the nails edge which people often see causing the nail to lift out of the nail beds.
4. Exfoliates the feet: removal of the dead skin prevents skin from growing hard and thick causing callus or corns which can end up causing a lot of pain and discomfort. Removal of dead skin on the heels especially promotes healthy cell growth and encourages smoother skin.
5. Increases circulation: After a pedicure a podologist will massage cream into your feet which will increase blood circulation. This can help reduce pain and help warm up your entire body.
6. Relaxation. The best part of all of having a pedicure is that it can be very relaxing. It can ultimately help reduce stress and can be very therapeutic.

Getting your feet pampered is beneficial to your whole body and should be something we implement into our lives to promote overall good health. We spend a lot of time on our feet and they carry us where we need to go, so we should take time to take care of them! Getting a pedicure at least once a month can help your feet stay in good health.