back | Journey

Could too much of a good thing be bad for your health? While it’s exciting to land that office job, it’s also important to remember that your body is made to move. Did you know that sitting in front a screen, like a computer, for extended periods of time can increase your risk of certain diseases? Check out these tips to make sure you’re staying healthy both at home and in the workplace.

Stay healthy.
Sitting is often unavoidable and, when broken up into smaller periods of time, won’t do too much damage. The key to staying healthy at your desk job is making sure you take breaks that get you out of your chair. In fact, experts suggest standing every 30 minutes, if possible. To help you get moving, try out these tips:

Stand Up

Set reminders. Try using your email or calendar to set reminders that will pop up and remind you to stand for a few minutes. You can also try this trick at home by using TV commercials as a signal for you to stand up and get moving.
Stand up and straighten your office or workspace. De-cluttering can also help you cut down on stress.
If you like to drink a lot of coffee or other beverage, use a smaller cup in the morning. This will force you to make more trips to fill up your cup throughout the day.
Stand up and get a glass of water if you’ve been sitting for too long.
When you’re eating lunch or talking on the phone, stand up if possible.
Instead of using email or interoffice mail, hand deliver papers to a co-worker.
If possible, use a printer that’s stationed away from your work area so you have to walk to retrieve your documents.
On lunch breaks, take a walk around the building or nearby area.

Rest Your Eyes

Follow the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, take a break from your screen and stare at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds to help the focusing muscles in your eyes relax.
Make a conscious effort to blink every 10-15 seconds so you coat your cornea and nourish your eyes with oxygen.
Try increasing the brightness level on your computer’s monitor to decrease eye fatigue. Also, it’s recommended that your computer screen be positioned 20-28 inches from your eyes.
Eat eye-friendly foods like kale and spinach to lower your chance of developing a cataract.

Protect Yourself

To lessen the strain on your back, try sitting at a 135-degree angle while you work.
Keep hand sanitizer at your desk and wash your hands regularly. According to IdealBite.com, the average office keyboard harbors five times more germs than a public restroom.

Even though there are risks associated with desk jobs, the good news is that there are ways to minimize these risks and stay healthy.

How do you keep your health in check while working in the office? Share your tips in the comments section below!

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Proper lifting techniques are important when moving heavy loads, but did you know they are equally important when picking up something as small as a pencil? We’ve all heard the cautionary instruction to lift with the legs and not with the back. But the reason why is not simply because the weight of the object; it’s also because of the weight of your upper body.

Think About This

If you bend across a desk or counter to pick up a pencil, you are lifting the whole top half of your body that is extending past your midsection to reach for that pencil. This can cause your back to “go out” due to overexertion of muscles that support it. Over time, this bending and weakness in the muscles can cause long term damage to your spine.

Our spines are made mostly of bones (vertebrae), discs and nerves. Discs keep the bones from crushing down on the nerves, but when we bend our backs, one side of the disk is being pressed down with all the weight being lifted. The pencil example, extended over a whole career, illustrates how easy it is to damage your back.

Tips to Avoid Back Injury

Try sliding objects toward you before lifting them off a surface. To access something close to the ground, whether the lower drawer of a file cabinet or an object that has been dropped, always bend your knees and squat close to the object before lifting it. The most important thing you can do to avoid lifting hazards over time involves avoiding these situations as much as possible by taking control over your own workspace. Consider how often you perform certain lifting tasks. Try to place the things you access most often close to you and between your hips and shoulders. This includes organizing desks, counters, cabinets, drawers, and shelves so that frequently accessed items as well as heavy ones are in this zone. A regular review of your workspace can help protect your back throughout a long career in any field.

For more important safety topics check out these articles:

Hands Off: Leave Mechanical Maintenance to the Professionals
3 Ways to Stay All Ears: Protecting Yourself from Hearing Hazards
The Shocking Truth Behind Electrical Safety

Tag Archives: back