Exercise & Ergonomics

Exercise: Your body loves moving.  Thousands of years ago when we had to forage for food, we used to have that box ticked off daily out of necessity to survive, now - not so much.  Luckily, we can exercise to make our bodies feel the same as if we were roaming around all day to find our next meal

Ergonomics: We are big fans of standing work stations - especially if they have the option of switching back and forth from sitting to standing.  The ideal ergonomic lifestyle will have a mix of standing, sitting, laying down, and walking - so don't limit yourself to just one.  Equally important are your eyes, which are the part of your body most affected by aging.  If you don't have an updated prescription for your eyes, get one, and your neck and back will thank you.

 
 

It may not seem like much, but there can be positive physiological benefits from as little as 7 minutes of intense working out - namely, improved blood pressure, blood sugar, and muscle capacity.  A lot of people don't have time for 1 hour at the gym and we understand that, but there is a baseline level of activity that you need to be doing in order to keep things running right.  Give this 30 minute exercise routine a shot and see how you feel! If you can only do the first 7 minutes because of time constraints that’s cool too :)

Also, there are different guidelines for different reasons with exercise:

For Stress: 30 to 40 minutes of moderate exercise such as briskly walking or 15 to 20 minutes of vigorous exercise

For Longevity: 150 minutes per week with 10% being fairly strenuous

PS - whenever possible, we like to be in bare feet.  The nervous system has a direct relationship with sensation in and strength out (increase sensory input = increase motor output) give these Pedestal socks a shot and let us know how it goes

 

Standing Ergonomic Setup

Other than laying down, this is the easiest position on your lower back and neck.  Current research is recommending at least a 1:1 ratio of sitting:standing and some research even suggests more of a 1:3 ratio (45 min stand : 15 min sit)

A few things to note to ensure you are doing this safely:

1. Set the top of the monitor at eye level, the elbows bent to 90 degrees and monitors directly in front of you

2.  Work into it slowly - start with 5 minutes every hour and work your way up gradually.  Grab a foot fatigue mat and wear comfortable shoes

3.  Evenly distribute your weight between the heel and the ball of your feet and also keep the same amount of weight on your right and left legs*.  Stand with your 2nd/3rd toes directly under your hips, feet facing front, pelvis slightly tucked under and shoulders back and down.

*If you think you have a problem with this grab 2 bathroom scales and see how you stand.

 

Sitting Ergonomic Setup

This is the setup that most of us have, but probably shouldn't.  We're not saying that there aren't ways to make a sitting ergonomic setup more friendly, but research has shown that even with a recline and lumbar support, the pressure in the lower back is still less with standing and laying down versus ANY sitting position.  That being said - this is the reality for many of us so let's try and make it as healthy as possible.

1.  If you don't have a chair that can recline, get one.  If you DO have a chair that can recline and you don't have a footrest so you can recline, it is useless. An $800 "ergonomic" chair is worth $0 without a $20 footrest

2.  The top of the screen should be at eye level and your forearms should be parallel to the floor

3.  You have to have a lumbar support - an external one is better and can be purchased below 

 
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Want to increase your brain strength? Lose weight? Have better digestion? Have an excuse for being a messy eater? Actually remember people’s names? 


The answer is right (or left) at your fingertips (see what we did there?) and can start today by accepting our #switchyohand challenge - you heard it here first people!

30 days and if you hate it feel free to spend the rest of your life normal

The 3 steps (once you start a step keep it up till the end)

  1. 10 days of brushing your teeth with your opposite hand

  2. 10 days of eating with your opposite hand

  3. 10 days of using your computer mouse with the opposite hand

Then start to sign your credit card receipts (frankly, nobody reads those anyway) and dedicate 1 side of your written journal to the task.  We suggest breaking your journal down by the 2 sides of the book.  With your dominant hand, write on that side of the page “What’s on my mind” and with your non-dominant hand, write on that side of the page “What I’ve learned” It’ll help to really drive home “solution based thinking” - Go!