House Tip: Nicki Philips on maintaining good desk posture

The Soho House member and founder of fitness app, Niix, shares the biggest challenges of keeping a good desk position and provides tips on strengthening your frame.

Instructions:

Start by placing your feet squarely on the floor and keep them in line with your hip joints. Resist the urge to cross your legs and push your pelvis towards the back of your chair. Sit squarely on both sit bones and create a neutral pelvis by aligning your pubic and hip bones on the same plane.

Lengthen through your spine, making sure you’re not hunching over, and be mindful not to stick your chin out or lean back in extension.

Slide down your ribs towards your hip bones (while maintaining your neutral pelvic position) and softly activate your core muscles, as this helps support the neutral alignment.

Once you have these steps down, check your chin again and make sure you’re avoiding the turtle neck at all costs. Then, lengthen through the back of the neck, towards the ceiling and draw your shoulder blades down your back to open up the front of your chest.

Avoid lifting your ribs as this will bend your upper back into a harmful extension. And aim to keep your arms at a 90° angle with your elbows tucked into your sides. Keep your screen at eye level, so you’re not looking down while working.

You should feel a lengthening through your whole spine and up the back of your neck – a good tip is to try and imagine there’s an invisible thread pulling your head towards the ceiling.

Feel the core connection between your ribs and hips wrapping around you like a corset, and voilà! Aim to maintain this position.

Remember to get up and move regularly, and try not to flop while seated.