You start work feeling fine, but by late afternoon your neck feels stiff, your shoulders are tight and your lower back is beginning to complain. Nothing particularly strenuous happened. In fact, the problem may be that you spent most of the day doing very little physically at all.

Long periods of sitting can contribute to aches and stiffness, especially when you’re staying in roughly the same position for hours. If discomfort is persistent, worsening or affecting everyday activities, getting individual advice from an appropriate health professional — whether that’s your doctor or a physio Newtown residents can access locally — may help identify what is contributing to it.

For many people, though, the first useful step is simply recognising how much time they spend sitting and adding more movement throughout the day. You don’t necessarily need a perfect chair or complicated stretching routine. Your body generally benefits from changing positions regularly.

Your Body Isn’t Designed to Stay Still for Hours

Sitting itself isn’t automatically harmful. The bigger issue is often how long you remain in one position.

Think about a normal workday. You might sit while eating breakfast, commute in a car or on public transport, spend most of the working day at a desk and then sit on the sofa in the evening.

That’s a lot of time in similar positions.

When you remain still for extended periods, certain muscles may become tired or stiff. You may also gradually slump forwards, particularly when concentrating on a screen.

The solution isn’t necessarily to stop sitting altogether. It’s to break up long periods of inactivity.

There Is No Magical “Perfect” Posture

We’ve all heard some version of “sit up straight”.

Good desk ergonomics can certainly improve comfort, but trying to maintain one supposedly perfect posture for eight hours isn’t realistic. Even a comfortable position can become uncomfortable if you hold it for long enough.

Instead, think about posture as something that changes.

Sit back for a while. Adjust your position. Stand up. Walk around. If your workstation allows it, alternate between sitting and standing.

Rather than constantly asking, “Am I sitting perfectly?”, a more useful question might be, “How long have I been sitting like this?”

Your Desk Setup Still Matters

Movement is important, but that doesn’t mean your workstation should be ignored.

If you’re constantly leaning forwards to see your screen or reaching awkwardly for your mouse, small problems can become irritating over a full working day.

Check the basics:

• Position your screen so you can view it comfortably.
• Keep frequently used items within easy reach.
• Adjust your chair so you feel supported rather than perched awkwardly.
• Avoid holding a phone between your shoulder and ear.
• Make sure you have enough room to change your leg position.

Don’t assume expensive equipment will automatically solve discomfort. Start by adjusting what you already have.

Build Movement Into Things You Already Do

“Move more” sounds simple until you’re halfway through a busy day and realise you haven’t left your chair since breakfast.

Instead of relying on memory, connect movement to activities that already happen.

Stand up when you take a phone call. Walk to get water. Take the longer route to the bathroom. Go outside during part of your lunch break. If you work from home, use the time you would previously have spent commuting for a short walk.

Even brief movement breaks can interrupt long periods of sitting.

You can also set a reminder if you regularly lose track of time while working. The aim isn’t to create another annoying obligation. It’s simply to stop several hours passing without a change of position.

Exercise Outside Work Helps Too

Breaking up sitting during the day is useful, but regular physical activity outside work matters as well.

That doesn’t require becoming a serious athlete.

Walking, swimming, cycling, strength training or recreational sport can all get you moving. The best activity is often one you enjoy enough to continue doing consistently.

Strength work can be particularly useful for building your body’s capacity to handle everyday demands, but the right approach depends on your circumstances and current fitness.

Start at an appropriate level rather than trying to compensate for months of inactivity with one enormous workout.

Know When an Ache Deserves More Attention

Not every sore back after a long day at a computer requires professional treatment. Sometimes changing position, moving around and adjusting your workstation may be enough.

But don’t automatically blame every symptom on sitting.

Seek appropriate medical advice if pain is severe, follows an injury, keeps worsening, doesn’t settle, regularly interrupts sleep or is accompanied by concerning symptoms such as significant weakness, numbness or changes in bladder or bowel function.

Persistent discomfort deserves an individual assessment rather than endless experimentation with chairs, stretches and internet advice.

Make Movement the Default

You probably can’t eliminate sitting from your life, particularly if your job involves a computer. Fortunately, you don’t need to.

Focus on making your day less static.

Adjust your workstation so it’s comfortable, change positions regularly and look for small opportunities to stand and walk. Then support those habits with regular physical activity outside working hours.

Your next position is often more important than trying to find one perfect position and staying there all day.

The goal isn’t to sit perfectly. It’s to give your body more of what it naturally wants throughout the day: variety and movement.