Posture: Perfecting Your Posture at Work

With long hours spent at your desk, it can be difficult to keep good posture. To prevent your spine from taking on a “C” form, it is important to take steps to reduce your spinal pressure by sitting correctly so that your spine falls into its natural “S” position. Good posture can substantially improve the way your back and neck feel at the end of your workday Here are a few suggestions from The Back Store and Spine-health.com to help you improve your posture at work:

Sitting

Use a footrest: Purchase a footrest or use old phone books that are approximately four inches high. This will raise the height of your knees and effectively changes your center of gravity backwards, helping you to improve your posture.

Sit close to your desk: Be as close to the edge as possible. It will prevent you from bending forward over the desk.

Keep your back supported when sitting: When you will be sitting for long periods of time, you should make sure your back is supported from the lumbar region (lower back) to at least the shoulder blades. The chair you sit in should support the whole spine, right up to the neck. To avoid bending your neck to look down, try placing a small lectern on the desk or table top.

Take stretch breaks: If you are sitting for a long period of time, get up and stretch for a few seconds at least once every hour.

Standing

Tilt your pelvis slightly forward (towards your rib cage): Tighten your abdominals and keep your head directly over your shoulders and pelvis. Try not to pull your shoulders back, as this may actually worsen y our posture. If it is hard for you to hold this position, try placing your feet slightly apart with one foot in front of the other and bend your knees a little.
Use a railing or box to prop one foot up: This will take some of the pressure off your back. You can also place a rubber mat on top of a concrete floor to help ease pressure.
Change your feet and positions at least every 20 minutes: This will keep your back from getting “stuck” in the same position.

Your Workstation

For optimum comfort, you should assess your workstation and make changes based on the types of tasks you do on a daily basis, and the amount of time spent sitting or standing. Spine-health.com offers these tips for creating a more comfortable work environment:

Take your task in consideration when choosing a surface height for your desk: For example, an architect will need a higher surface for drawing, but a person who works on a computer all day will more than likely want a desk surface where they can sit or stand, depending on the need to use other tools or references.

Adjust the seat of the office chair:

Your work surface should be elbow-high.
Your fist should be able to pass easily behind your calf and in front of the edge of the seat to keep your legs from being pressed too hard and your feet from swelling.
Two fingers should slip easily under your thigh. If not, place a footrest under your feet to raise your knees to the same level as your hips.
The backrest of your chair should push your lower back forward slightly.

Fix the height of your computer screen: Sit comfortably at your desk and close your eyes. Slowly reopen them. Where you first gaze is the place to put the center of your screen. You can easily raise you screen with books or a stand if need be.

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[ Tagged In ] center of gravity, good posture, posture, shoulder blades, spine health, stretch breaks, workday

Diary of stress at work

Workplace stress is a myth, claims a recent report by the Institute of Directors, which says workers blame the office for everything that’s wrong in their lives.

But yesterday a new report suggested the opposite – and warned bosses could be sued if they dismiss complaints of stress as mere “whingeing”.

Whatever the truth, for most of us the issue is not whether stress exists but who suffers the most – those at the top or the bottom of the ladder?

Four people in a thriving London business, from the chairman to the office assistant, monitored their heart rate throughout a typical working day.

If the average healthy heart rate is 72 beats a minute – and anything over 100 can be damaging – what did their “stress diaries” tell us?

Expert Belinda Linden, cardiac nurse adviser for The British Heart Foundation, gave her verdict and rated their overall stress levels out of 10.

Example 1: The chairman

Rory Steer, 44, is the founder and chairman of the Freeplay Energy Group in Conduit Street , W1, which develops and sells self-sufficient energy gadgets, such as the wind-up radio. He is married and lives in St James’s.

His hour-by-hour diary: 6am:

Watched TV business news – nothing happening to affect us today. 65

8am: Business breakfast with potential distributor. Talks on sales percentages tricky, but we reach a compromise. 110

9.30am: Board meeting about to start, so check emails. Distracted by executives popping in and out, including the finance director asking if we should chase a late payer. Of course we should. 82

11.35am: During board meeting colleague advises that our “new generation radio” project “can’t move any quicker”. Very frustrated. 112

1pm: I’m starving. Surely someone should have arranged lunch. 80

1.30pm: Eating prawn sandwiches and fruit between calls. Need to return calls but can’t get hold of anyone. Irritated. 84 3pm:

Ask Debby for minutes of board report, thought she’d have typed them by now. 93

5.30pm: Dash to the airport through London traffic to catch flight to South Africa to attend the World Economics Forum in Durban. Being driven, so not too stressed. 90

7pm: Board flight, sort out board report and read FT. 68

The expert’s view: “Rory thrives on challenge and success, but his heart rate reflects the demanding moments of his day, including a tricky business breakfast and a meeting where he could not achieve what he wanted.

“Each was frustrating for Rory because he had little control over them, but a few simple relaxation methods could have helped to control his heart rate better and reduce his demands on Debby.

“He needs to find more balance, to make time for exercise and relaxation.”

Workplace stress rating: “He thrives on stress, but doesn’t handle it well when he feels out of control.” 7/10

Example 2: The chairman’s PA

Debby Coltman, 38, is Rory’s PA. She is single and lives in Hounslow, Middlesex.

Her hour-by-hour diary:

7am: Woke up to an extremely high reading. Must be because there’s a board meeting. 155

9.28am: At office, set up the boardroom. Urgently need photocopying from Carey, ask her to hurry up. 89

11.40am: In meeting Rory isn’t happy, he looks agitated and is talking very fast. 108

1.05pm: Rory is restless, waiting to eat. Carey is in charge of lunches, wish she’d get a move on. 85

1.30pm: Have to get out for a brisk walk. 102

2pm: Rory asks for the first draft of the board report to be ready before he leaves for the airport, so am typing frantically. 75

3.02pm: Rory asks for board report. I can type fast, but not that fast. 92

5pm: Last-minute rush to get Rory to the airport. Have to make sure his papers/tickets/ passport are sorted. Everyone clamouring to speak to him before he leaves. 93

6pm: Leave for evening at the theatre and dinner with a friend. 68

The expert’s view: “Debby’s challenge is Rory. She feels she keeps calm but her heart rate rises in response to demands from Rory.”

Workplace stress rating: “Debby is feeding off Rory’s anxieties and her heart rate is too high in the morning – where her boss’s is normal. At least she’s trying to switch off after work.” 8/10

Example 3: Operations director

Vivian Blick, 40, is married with two children and lives in Gloucestershire. He is taking a more laid-back approach to life since having a minor heart attack four months ago.

His hour-by-hour diary:

6.30am: Stayed overnight at hotel as we have an early board meeting. 70

6.35am: Irritated because hotel shower door is broken and the floor is all wet. 100

7.30am: Walk to the office, about a mile at brisk pace. 77

8am: Hot and bothered, shouldn’t have walked. 113

9.30am: Wondering how long board meeting will take as need to make calls. 70

11.30am: Rory wants new project to move quickly, but tests need to be completed to meet standards. 90

2pm: Tired, drink a can of Red Bull. 75

2.45pm: Discuss increasing distribution to meet targets. It’s a big challenge due to competitive market, but I am confident. 78

3.30pm: Excuse myself from one meeting to jump in a cab and rush to another. 85

7pm: Dinner at great Chinese restaurant. Enjoy delicious aromatic crispy duck with glass of red wine. 70

11.35pm: Go to bed, feeling relaxed. 65

The expert’s view: “Vivian is taking things easier since his heart attack. His heart rate increases on fewer occasions than his colleagues do. He dealt well with the pressure of the board meeting, but drinking Red Bull isn’t the ideal way to deal with feeling tired. He regrets walking to the office in the morning, but exercise is positive.”

Workplace stress verdict: “He’s doing well to avoid another heart attack by taking a calm approach to the job.” 6/10

Example 4: The office assistant

Carey Myers, 26, is single and shares a house in Golders Green.

Her hour-by-hour diary:

7am: Wake up to a high reading. 150

7.22am:. Need to get ready but my housemate is in the shower. 110

8.40am: Hate the Tube: it’s hot and busy and I am late. 106

9.25am: Debby asked for photocopying for the meeting. Oops! No paper in copier, no paper in cupboard. Should have done it yesterday. 103

11.15am: Liaise with PR agency about product photography. 75

12.59pm: Suddenly asked to organise sandwiches for the board meeting as they overran. Feel under pressure. 98

1.18pm: Go back for more money and buy myself a sandwich but have to eat while typing. 94

5.15pm: Have to wait for urgent call from Vivian. Where on earth is he? 97

6pm: At last, I am off. 101

8pm: Relax at last. Eat and watch TV. 60

The expert’s verdict: “Carey’s heart rate reflects that she is the most stressed of the team. This bears out evidence that the person who has least control appears to have a greater risk of coronary heart disease.”

Workplace stress rating: “Carey needs to make time for exercise and take breaks in the day. She could keep a supply of healthy food, such as fruit, for colleagues to snack on. If everyone else’s blood-sugar levels are maintained, they will be less irritable.”9/10

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[ Tagged In ] british heart foundation, london business, stress levels, workplace stress

Body Work and Stress Reduction

Can one hour a week of therapy, massage and/or foot reflexology lower your blood pressure, decrease your risk of cancer, improve your cardio-vascular efficiency, decrease depression, increase energy and help you sleep better? The answer is YES to all of the above.

Stress and stress-related diseases are increasing in our modern day culture. “The leading causes of mortality in industrialized nations have shifted from the infectious illnesses that were prevalent at the beginning of this century to the chronic and lifestyle-related illnesses now accounting for the majority of deaths”.

In the UK, stress causes workers to miss an average of 10 days on the job each year. Stress affects everyone and stress disorders are based upon a slow and developmental accumulation of psychological and physical stress responses throughout the life of the individual.

Potentially, one of the most negative results of excessive levels of stress is the effect on immune responses.

The effects of stress are physical. The voluntary nervous system sends messages to your muscles to fight or flee. In response to this immediate tension in your body, the autonomic nervous system, which regulates involuntary body functions, will prepare you by sending extra blood to your muscles. It will also slow digestion, mental clarity and some organ functions. There are also hormonal responses that produce many hypersensitive effects on the body. In essence, your body becomes a machine preparing for attack and shutting down many vital organ functions you need to maintain health.

Most individuals have a difficult time recognizing stress in the body until it becomes an obvious problem such as: severe backache, chronic indigestion, headaches, constant colds, lack of energy and often depression. When it reaches the stage of physical and mental imbalances, it has become a problem.

Bodywork is a major factor in helping us to identify where the stress is located in the body.
Body work will not only identify the stress holding patterns, it will educate the body in returning to balance before it becomes a major physical problem.

Research has shown that body work:

- Helps appropriate movement of fluids through the system including lymph, blood in the arteries and veins, glandular secretions and removal of toxic waste

- Increases muscle response such as elasticity of connective tissue, diminishes muscle fatigue, and increases muscle energy

- Restores vital organ function including respiration and circulation

- Increases neural activity benefiting both the central and peripheral nervous systems

- Increases the balance in reflex patterns

- Restores general balance to stress overload

Body work restores our coping mechanisms and allows for physical and emotional balance to occur before it becomes a major problem.

Each individual is a unique and complex interaction of body, mind and spirit. “Illness can best be understood as a disturbance within the dynamic balance of these relationships. The state of health exists when these elements function in harmony.”
Bodywork, which promotes this harmony, is not just a luxury, but should be a significant part of our integrative approach to health and wellness.

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[ Tagged In ] body functions, causes of mortality, decrease depression, effects of stress, excessive levels, increase energy, infectious illnesses, levels of stress, physical stress, stress disorders, stress related diseases, stress responses, therapy massage