Meetings, emails, endless phone calls, spreadsheets – sometimes it truly feels as if were chained to our desk, staring at our screens all day. Prolonged periods of staring at a screen is not only physically exhausting, it’s also mentally draining. Over time you can begin to suffer greatly from neck pain, back pain, stiff muscles, poor posture, eyestrain, blurriness, among a host of other problems. If you spend a good portion of your day at a desk keep the following reminders in mind with you throughout the day.
Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated throughout the day is important for your overall wellbeing. Not only does it promote weight loss and mental clarity, it also promotes clear skin and increased energy. Drinking water throughout the day will also encourage you to get up often and refill.
Workout at your desk
Throughout the day, find discreet ways to workout at your desk. Take a break from the keyboard, your chair and the screen and practice neck stretches, standing calf raises, leg raises, shoulder blade squeezes, chair squats, wall sits and tricep dips.
Skip The Elevator
Make the most of the stairs in your building and avoid using escalators and elevators. If you move around to many different floors throughout the day, take the stairs to travel around the building. You’ll get in a mini workout and avoid waiting around for a crowded elevator.
Write reminders
Set an alarm on your phone or computer to remind you to get up and get moving around the office.
Increase Your Font Size
If it at all possible, increase the font size of your computer. If the font size is too small, you’ll end up squinting, which can lead to eye strain, fatigue and headaches.
Rest Your Eyes
When you leave the office, don’t open up your iPad on the commute home, don’t scroll through your phone on the subway, and don’t immediately turn the television on for a Netflix binge once you get home. Prolonged amounts of time spent staring at a screen not only impairs our vision, it can lead to a syndrome known as Computer Vision Syndrome. This syndrome is a blanket term for all of the troublesome effects of staring at a screen for long periods of time.
