Sign number 1: Your office chair has a backrest
Does your office chair have a backrest? Then you should get out of there as soon as possible! Contrary to the widespread belief that a backrest would relieve the strain on your back, it actually does more harm than good. Because if your back no longer has to support itself, the muscles in your back atrophy. Pain in your spine and muscles is inevitable due to the weakened back. In the worst case, this will stay with you forever.
Sign number 2: The seat is rigid
Everyone knows this: you sit down for a moment and think "Ah, nice". But what happens during the hours you spend sitting? If you sit on a rigid seat for hours without moving at all, this sends a signal to your brain: "Stop thinking, nothing else is happening here today!" If you stay in one position for a long time, your brain is tricked into switching off. This affects your ability to concentrate and, as you get older, even your entire brain, which can lead to dementia and Alzheimer's.
Sign number 3: You need to adjust to your office chair
Yes, of course, you can move your office chair up and down. But beyond that? Very few office chairs allow you to adjust them to your weight or your individual movements. In other words, you have to adjust to your office chair - and you can only lose if you do that.
Sign number 4: There are armrests
Have you always wanted to know what it feels like to be locked up? Then get an office chair with armrests. Jokes aside: The armrests prevent you from adopting alternative positions when sitting on the office chair. Armrests also serve as unwanted spacers from the table, which in turn leads to poor posture. And, just like the backrest, the armrest takes the work out of supporting the body, thereby permanently weakening it.
Sign number 5: You have to sit to work
It's a vicious circle! You have to sit down to work. And once you sit down, you sit for hours because you have to work. So it's snapped shut, the unavoidable sitting trap. It's usually difficult to escape and in many jobs, impossible, because you have to sit. And that means that sitting for long periods of time will make you tired and listless. And even worse: studies show that if you sit for at least six hours a day, your lifespan can be shortened by up to 20 percent!
So it’s time for you to look for a new office chair. To find the right office chair, make sure
- that the office chair does not restrict your freedom of movement
- that the office chair follows you and not the other way around
- that the office chair has as few backrests as possible (armrests)
- that the office chair becomes a supporting actor and not the main annoyance.
The Aeris Swopper is the perfect example of how a good office chair doesn't need a backrest. On the contrary: without a backrest and armrests, you'll always be sitting ergonomically correctly.
