Recent research highlights people are spending up to 5 hours a day on their smart phone, computer or tablet. If this is you, it might be taking a toll on your body. If you are compromising your posture and sitting for hours in a less than ideal position, your body starts to see this as the new “normal”.

How can you fix this problem without giving up your love for technology?

Pain related to technology is often related to poor ergonomics and poor posture.

Addressing any problems with your office set up is often a good place to start. Ensure you have the correct chair height, so that your feet can rest comfortably on the floor and your knees are at or just below (the level of) your hips. Sitting up straight may take some serious practicing; however try to maintain good posture at your desk.

Ensure your desk and computer are set up at the right height so your head is in a neutral position with your monitor at eye-level.

Take frequent breaks from the screen. Aim for 2 minutes away from the screen every hour. Set reminders on your phone if necessary.

The easiest way to address “text neck” outside the office set up is to change the way you hold your phone. Bring the screen to eye-level so you are not slouching forward with your head out and down to view the screen.

Performing corrective exercises to balance your muscles can also improve your poor posture. Consult a registered qualified exercise professional for a more detailed program to help address your specific issues taking into account your lifestyle, health history, fitness levels and severity of the poor posture.

Try these corrective postural exercises by strengthening and stretching the muscles in your neck, upper back and upper chest.
1. Neck rotations:
These effective neck exercises will help to prevent stiffness in your neck.

How to perform this exercise:
Look gently to the left and right, aim for 10 times on each side. Try to perform these every hour throughout the day.

2. Shoulder blade pinches:
The muscles in your upper back tend to get lengthened and weakened when you are slouched forward for prolonged periods of time or as a result of performing excessive chest “push” exercises.

How to perform this exercise:
While sitting or standing straight, think eyes looking straight ahead, shoulders back, chest forward, squeeze your shoulder blades together so you could hold a pencil between them. You should feel your shoulders roll back. Aim to hold for a few seconds, release and repeat. Perform 10 reps every hour throughout the day.

3. Pectoralis stretch:
By slouching forward you easily develop rounded shoulders as well. While the upper back muscles are lengthened and weakened, the muscles in your upper chest (pectoralis minor and pectoralis major) are shortened and tight.

How to perform this stretch:
Stand in a doorway and place your forearms against each side frame of the door, with your elbows at shoulder height. With one foot forward, draw your shoulder blades together on your back and gently lean into the door. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds and repeat once more. Perform this stretch 3-4 times a day.

4. Chin tucks:
A double chin maybe a no-no in a “selfie”, but it can be good for your posture. Chin tucks strengthen the neck muscles and help pull your head back into alignment.

How to perform this exercise:
Sit up tall in a chair and keep your chin parallel to the floor. Without tilting your head in any direction, gently draw your head and chin back, like you are making a double chin. Be careful not to jam your head back. You should feel a stretch along the back of your neck. Release your chin forward. Repeat. Aim to perform 10 reps every hour throughout the day.

While the best advice is to take frequent breaks from your computer or mobile phone, these exercises, along with improving your posture, are good preventative measures. If your pain doesn’t improve, your problem maybe more serious and it is best to always seek a professional medical opinion.

Here are some easy ways to increase your daily calcium intake.
- drink a glass of milk. (350mg per 250ml glass)
A 250ml glass of milk provides a 1/3 of your daily calcium needs. Try to buy milk that has more than 120mg calcium per 100ml. Or try calcium-fortified alternatives to cows milk. Other milks include soy milk, rice milk, oat milk and almond milk.

- top your porridge with yoghurt and chopped almonds

- swap tea for a warm milk and Milo

- snack on a small wedge of hard cheese with fresh fruit

- spread smooth ricotta onto a slice of grainy fruit toast.

If you can’t tolerate dairy, it may be hard to reach your target for this mineral. Try these alternatives to the white stuff.

- Base your stir fry on firm tofu (550mg per 170mg serve)
For a non-dairy alternative, you can’t go past tofu. Add a palm size portion to your daily diet to get close to half your daily calcium intake.

-Crack open a can of pink salmon with bones (300mg per 100g can)
Salmon with tiny edible bones pack almost the same calcium power as a 250ml glass of reduced fat milk!

- Munch on a handful of raw almonds (70mg per 30g handful)
These tasty nuts are not only a modest source of calcium but a satisfying snack thanks to their fibre and protein.

Tip: Reduced fat milk is slightly higher in calcium than regular milk. The process of fat removal increases the watery portion, which increases the calcium. As a rich source of calcium, milk helps build strong, healthy bones, while its protein content makes a glass of milk a truly hunger busting snack that keeps you feeling satisfied.

When starting an exercise program, it is important to know, not all exercises are equal. And not all exercises will suit every person. The risks will differ from person to person based on individual differences in posture, level of conditioning, biomechanics and predisposition to injury.

When exercises are selected for you, there needs to be an understanding of the risk, the benefits and alternatives for that exercise. Some things to consider include:

• What is the purpose to the exercise?
• Are you at risk of injury performing this exercise?
• Are you performing the exercise with good technique?
• Is the movement extreme, sustained (held) or does it involve lifting weights in excess of what you can handle?
• Does it compromise any of your joints?
• Does the exercise significantly alter your blood pressure?

For every exercise, the benefits need to outweigh the risks or an alternative exercise should be performed. Safety must come first. If it hurts, don’t do it!

Some exercises are considered more effective than others. An example to promote useable strength that is relative to everyday activities and normal movement patterns to enhance the quality of life and promote maximal performance is to perform functional exercises. These exercises replicate daily or sporting activities using direction of forces and coordination of relevant muscles and joint movements.

Training the body using compound exercises (using 2 or more joints together) means lots of muscles are engaged at the same time, as opposed to training isolated muscles (one muscle at a time). Recruiting many agonists, assistants, antagonists and stabilising muscle groups together when performing compound exercises, means for a more effective workout and better use of your time and energy.

The best exercises to perform are those with low risk and high effectiveness. Then you will achieve the desired goals for good health and sustained fitness. If you are unsure of any exercise, please discuss it with an exercise professional.

So lets start exercising……