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Lose Weight, Get In Shape, And Avoid Carpel Tunnel – While At The Office
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23-Dec-2008
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It is no secret, America is getting fatter, unhealthier (and no, they are not the same thing), exercising less, and suffering from more pain in the back, wrists, et cetera. And computers probably play a ridiculously large part of this true nationwide (and more so global with each passing day) epidemic.
There are, however, some things to do. Here's my advice:
Office Yoga/Pilates
Many people would like to do more exercise, stretching, et cetera anyway – but there's just no time! With 10 hour work days, 6 day work weeks, and two weeks of vacation spent...working at home, it's little surprise that we are all out of shape, all stressed out, and losing the 'battle of the bulge'. However, there is no reason you have to leave the Yoga/Pilates at the 'loft', you can bring it to work with you. Office Yoga and Office Pilates are both excellent sources of little workouts that you can integrate into your daily routine while at work, and still maintain a healthy, fit and productive lifestyle.
Dumbells & Ankle Weights
Another great set of exercise tools that will give you some good muscle tone without really hampering your office are dumbells and ankle weights. With these, you can turn your desk and/or office chair into a fully effective workout center.
Drink Water
Drinking water is a hopefully obvious no-brainer statement; nonetheless, most people do not drink as much water as they should. Instead, we will drink our weight in coffee and soft drinks. And, granted, I need my morning caffeine (and my 2nd wind at lunch) like everyone else, but that doesn't mean you can ignore water.
The medical community is not entirely in agreement here as to just how much water you should be having on a daily basis, as you can actually have too much water in your system – and it could even kill you. A very safe rule of thumb, bordering on the minimum, is an 8 oz. glass of water every hour you're at the office. This doesn't mean you should cut out your energy drink of choice, but simply have the water first (I personally like two full glasses of water before my soft drink, it actually helps me pace it better instead of having it last a grand total of 30 seconds). And having the extra water in your system helps your body to better circulate out the toxins that you will inevitably take in with the energy drink. Don't forget - even though popular with soft drinks, but not with coffee, using a straw is always best for your teeth.
Stand Up Already
Much of an office life revolves around sitting. Nevertheless, it's not good for you or your circulation. The simple act of just standing up for a few minutes every hour will not only have a literally significant impact on your overall health, but surprisingly will help you pace yourself throughout the day by breaking up the monotony that so easily creeps up on us.
Sit Properly
Considering how much we do it, you think we'd have become experts by now. That of course is not the case. Office posture is atrocious – perhaps even worse than that found in grade schools. Despite having the most expensive and 'comfortable' chairs, we have nasty habits and seemingly no desire to break them. Better posture is known to have a myriad of health benefits, including significantly less back pain, better sleep, breathing, et cetera. There's simply no reason to slouch – it has the exact opposite effect.
Type Properly
Despite being taught how to do it properly in school, and pretty much everyone working today was exposed to a keyboarding class of some sort, most of us still bend our wrists and lean them up against the desk or the keyboard, creating significant strain on the tendons which leads, ultimately, to carpel tunnel syndrome. This, if you haven't gotten it yet, is something you do not want. When typing, your elbows should be elevated and not resting on anything, and the back of your hand should be perfectly in line with your arm. The same is true when using a mouse. Though not the most natural of positions, it is the most sure-fire way of avoiding CT. There are also braces you can wear, however these will become an annoyance and I would not recommend them for daily use.
Now What?
As is true with anything, habits are hard to break and hard to make, and you have both of these working against you. My advice is to use those organizational skills, and make a list, a database, whatever. Create a check box for each glass of water, yoga/pilates, dumbell/ankle weight exercise, stand-up stretch, et cetera that you would like to do throughout the day. Type a little reminder and tape it to your monitor reminding you not to slouch, straighten out that wrist, and even set your watch to beep to remind you. All of these things will contribute significantly and substantially to improving your overall health, weight, and general life happiness. And, although probably none of this will make you 'ripped', it probably will keep your pants from becoming that way. Enjoy! |
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