How to stay healthy if you have to sit at a computer all day?
Technological break-through allowed us to do all daily-routine only in a couple of clicks. We can work, watch movies, pay our bills using only one device.
Perhaps your job requires you to sit all day long in front of a screen. Or even if you are your own boss and you have so much flexibility and freedom, for instance. You, oftentimes, do not even notice how time passed by and you’ve been sitting for several hours at the same spot, in front of your computer.
No matter what the case is, sitting at a computer for a long time has a direct impact on our health. Many studies have shown that people who have sedentary lifestyle are more prone to injuries and various illnesses than the others. Therefore, it is very important to get up, move and stretch throughout the day.
Here are some tips that can help you to prevent possible negative consequences.
1.Take care of your eyes
The American Optometric Association proposed the concept of “computer vision syndrome”. The symptoms of this syndrome are following: eye fatigue, dry eyes, headaches, temporary blurred vision.
However, prevention is quite simple. First of all, you need to create the most comfortable conditions for work: clean monitor with suitable contrast and brightness settings.
Another important point – blink more often in order to moisten the cornea. Usually, people working at the computer forget to blink, that is why some special programs were created for them, like Blink Home Monitor app for example.
Furthermore, if you have to sit at a computer all day, try to make sure that your monitor is located below your eyes level, so the eyelid is slightly lowered. This protects some part of an eye from dryness. And, of course, try to look at something else from time to time, instead of just staring at your screen nonstop.
2. Do not stay frozen and “let it go :-P”
One of the most important things is not to sit at a computer like you are frozen. Move. Try to stretch, jerk your legs and change your posture. It will help you to prevent back pain, physical fatigue and muscle pain.
Try to make short breaks after 20-30 minutes of sitting, in order to improve circulation and also burn a few calories. Moreover, things like using stairs instead of an elevator can also help to improve your health overall.
3. Laptop is not always a good choice
As it was mentioned before when a person works at a computer, it is a basic posture in which they have to spend the most of the time.
Therefore, the most suitable posture is the one with right angles and lines:
-hips parallel to the floor;
-legs are touching the floor, not hanging;
-shoulders relaxed and laid back;
-ears on the same vertical line with shoulders and hips.
Unfortunately, all these requirements cannot be fulfilled if you have a laptop. You can buy a separate keyboard as an option, but it may seem like a strange move. However, if laptop is your only option, try at least to avoid a habit of working with a laptop on your knees.
4. Sitting with your legs crossed can be harmful.
This position does not lead to instant development of varicose, but sitting cross-legged [or any other posture] for a long time is harmful for your blood circulation and has quite serious circumstances in the future.
On the other hand, if your eyes get dark when you get up, then cross your legs for a while, it will help to raise the pressure, which causes the discomfort.
5. Keep only healthy snacks next to you
You do not usually burn a lot of calories if you have a sedentary lifestyle. Therefore, the last thing you want to have is weight problems and diabetes. However, you obviously have to eat, so the key is eating the right foods.
The simplest way to avoid junk and unhealthy food is not to have them around you. Try to keep high protein foods, like nuts, low calorie protein bars. Moreover, you can eat fruits and vegetables as a healthy and tasty snack.
6. Drink more water
Buy reusable bottle of water and just keep it on your desk. Drink one bottle before lunch and one before going home. Water will keep you less tempted to unhealthy snacks and will help to avoid dehydration which may result in awful headaches.
7. Wash your hands before returning to work AND AFTER
Some researches have shown that our working desk keep hundreds of times more bacteria than a toilet seat. Gross, isn’t it?!
Therefore, clean your working space more often and don’t forget to wash your hands with soap. Another great advice would be to keep some antibacterial wipes at your desk.
Sitting in front of computer screen for a long time is definitely not a good idea, especially, when it comes to your health. However, if you have to sit at a computer all day, all above-mentioned tips can help you to minimize the risks and consequences of sedentary lifestyle.
Recommended article: Do eye-drops help reduce computer impact and how?
