How you sit at the wheel makes a real difference to how your body feels after a drive. When your seat is set up to support you, your muscles can relax and share the load, rather than a few of them doing all the work. Taking a couple of minutes to set your position before you set off is often enough to make a journey more comfortable.

Start with the seat, not your body

It is tempting to adjust yourself to fit the car, but it works better the other way around. Setting the seat up first means your body can settle into support rather than holding itself in place.

There is no single position that suits everyone, so treat the guides here as a starting point. The aim throughout is simple: your back resting against the seat, your shoulders relaxed, and no part of you stretching or bracing to reach the controls.

Support your lower back

Your lower back has a gentle inward curve that feels most comfortable when it is supported. If your seat has a lumbar setting, you could adjust it so it fills the small of your back without pushing you forward. If it does not, a small rolled towel behind your lower back does a similar job.

Set the backrest slightly back from fully upright, so the seat takes your weight rather than your muscles holding you upright.

Get your distance right

If you are reaching for the pedals, your hips slide forward and your lower back loses its support. Bring the seat forward so your knees stay comfortably bent and you can press the pedals fully without straightening your leg.

The same idea applies to the wheel. You want to reach it with a relaxed bend in your elbows while your back stays against the seat, rather than stretching your arms out straight.

Let your shoulders and hands relax

Once your distance is set, notice your shoulders. When we concentrate they tend to creep up towards our ears, so letting them drop and rest gives those muscles a break.

Resting your hands lower on the wheel, around the 9 and 3 o'clock positions, keeps your wrists in a more natural line and your arms less likely to tire. It is also worth avoiding propping one elbow on the window ledge for long stretches, as that lifts one shoulder higher than the other.

Set the head restraint and mirrors

Adjust your head restraint so the middle of it sits roughly level with the back of your head, close to it without pressing. This supports your neck and is there if you need it.

Setting your mirrors once you are sitting comfortably is a useful trick, because if you later find yourself craning to see them, it is a gentle sign you have started to slump and could reset your position.

Keep moving, even in position

Even the best set-up seat becomes uncomfortable if you stay completely still for hours. Staying relaxed rather than rigid, and breaking up longer drives with short stops, helps far more than trying to hold one perfect position the whole way.

At a stop, you could try standing tall and easing into a small backward lean with your hands on your lower back, to counter the time spent sitting.

A stretch to reset after driving

Once you have parked, a gentle stretch helps release any stiffness. You could roll your shoulders slowly backwards a few times, gently turn your head to look over each shoulder, then rest your hands on your lower back and ease into a small backward lean, only as far as feels comfortable.

If you would like to follow a guided version, VIDA has a short stretch video you can do at your own pace.

A quick recap

• Set the seat up first, then let your body settle into it.
• Support the natural curve of your lower back, using a rolled towel if needed.
• Sit close enough that your knees stay bent and your elbows keep a comfortable bend.
• Let your shoulders drop and rest your hands lower on the wheel.
• Set your head restraint level with the back of your head.
• Break up longer drives with short stops to move and reset.

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