Guest Articles >> Natural Health

Staying Healthy Whilst Working Hard

By Jessy Troy

In the uncertain economic climate we find ourselves in, it can be very easy to sacrifice personal health in order to try and be more productive at work. It's becoming more and more common for most people to spend eight to ten hours a day chained to their desk, then upon getting home they  either unwind by sitting in front of the TV or using a computer until they fall asleep four or five hours later.

This kind of behavior, though increasingly becoming the norm, is a very draining and damaging routine to fall into. Sitting for long periods of time can leave you feeling disorientated, sluggish and unmotivated. Worse, if you are not careful about your posture there can be long term health implications due to the strain placed not only on muscles but your entire bodily frame whilst you sit.

According to the Mayo Clinic, our bodies are not particularly fond of remaining in one position for more than twenty minutes at a time. After twenty minutes you're likely to start becoming uncomfortable, experiencing cramps, muscle seizures and other related problems. You can combat this easily by taking a short walk or even just moving around a bit in your chair (try not to settle back into the same position after you have done so).

Whenever sitting at a desk (either at work or at a home) make sure to maintain a neutral sitting position. Start by making sure you have a good chair which provides adequate support to your lower back. Whilst sitting your forearms, wrists and thighs should all be parallel to the floor, with your shoulders relaxed (as much as possible).

Whatever screen you're focused on should be at least twenty inches away from your body and positioned at eye height. Finally your feet should be placed either flat on the floor or supported on a footrest. By maintaining proper posture you can help reduce the amount of daily ware and tare suffered by your bones, muscles and tendons. Something  you will be very thankful for in later life.

Another good tip for avoiding strains and tares is to try and reduce the amount of repetitive motions you have to make in a day. Doing the same movement over and over again (like picking up the phone or moving a computers mouse), can be extremely damaging to the muscle groups involved.  Look into tools that help reduce the amount of strain involved in repetitive tasks (in this instance a phone headset and a trackball mouse could be used).

When no technological options are available try to make sure you mix up the way you do repetitive work, even something simple like occasionally picking up files with your offhand can help in the long term. 

If you are working over long periods of time, don't forget to take a few minutes every hour or two to just relax. No one can maintain their productivity forever, the harder you try, the more futile the effort becomes.

Adopting the correct posture, making sure to regularly move around, reducing repetitive motions and taking time for yourself will help make you feel a whole let better, which leads to more productive work hours and much higher energy levels during your free time.

About the Author

Jessy Troy blogs at Diet Vegan.org and Vegetarial Life

Post image by Envios

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The above guest post is published based on the premise that it will be helpful and informative. The opinions made within it are those of the author and not of sunnyray.org. The links you may find within this post do not necessarily imply our recommendation or endorsement of the views expressed within them.

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