Friday, September 25, 2015

WORKPLACE SPECIAL .................. HOW TO STAY HEALTHY AT WORK


HOW TO STAY HEALTHY
 AT WORK


We often spend long hours at work sitting still, without caring too
much about how it affects our health in the long term.
How tech can help mitigate some of those risks

ON A SMARTPHONETABLET
Exercises while on your desk Most of us today spend a majority of time
 working on a desk. However, that does not mean that you cannot stay
active while working. There are a number of free apps available to help
 you do quick exercises

STRETCHES
Stretching is the easiest and quickest of exercises that can be done on your
 desk. Check out the 1-minute desk workout app for iOS by Simarim.
The app has over 45 exercises to keep you active on your desk and even
sends a reminder every hour to do an exercise. Android users can try the
free Stretching & Eye exercise app by TM production.

YOGA
iOS has a free Lite version of Office YogaMD that suggests over 20 yoga
 poses to practice on your desk along with audio descriptions. You can also
 schedule reminders to practice Yoga at specific intervals. For Android
users, there are separate Office Yoga apps by Daily Yoga Software for
 keeping fit, de stressing and meditating.

TAKE A BREAK
Experts recommend taking regular breaks at work to prevent stress and
repetitive strain injuries. Breaks help you relax, improve productivity
 and focus. You can either use your phone's built-in alarm clock or countdown
 timer apps to remind you to take a break. Free apps reMind Alarm clock
 for Android and Alarmed for iOS offer options to set multiple alarms
 as break reminders.

GIVE YOUR EYES
A REST Since our work today requires constantly working on a display
 (computers, smartphonetablets), our eyes are put under a lot of stress.
 While you can lower down the brightness of the display to reduce the
 effect, it would be better if you get an app that works as a blue light filter.
 Blue light from the screen causes strain on your eyes and also leads to
 issues such as insomnia and headaches. Android users can get the free
 Bluelight filter app for eye care or Twilight app that adjusts the screen
color to reduce the blue light effect. iOS users can access a low light
 filter mode by heading to Settings > accessibility > Zoom ­ enable zoom,
 tap three times on screen with three fingers to bring up the option to choose
 filters. Select the low light filter mode and it will be applied across apps
on your iOS device.

ON A COMPUTER
F.LUX (http:www.justgetflux.com) We think this is a must-have for all
 computer users.It's totally free and automatically adjusts the colour
temperature of your computer screen according to the time of day in
 your area (and it really helps reduce eye strain). You can choose a
particular colour effect (dark room, movie mode) and disable them
as and when required. The built-in screen analyzer tells you what
kind of ambient lighting is around. The program is available for
Windows, Mac and Linux.

WEB BROWSER TIMERS
Not every office will let you install software on a work computer.
In such a case, you can opt for browser based timers.
Try http:www.protectyourvision.org. It's a flash website that reminds
you to take a break from the computer -you can choose to be alerted about
 a 20 second break every 20 minutes (or a 5 minute break every hour).
It also suggests eye exercises to reduce eye strain. If you do not like to
have a tab constantly open, you can get browser extensions that do
the same job. Chrome users can get the eyeCare extension while
Firefox users can try out the Take a break plug-in.

TAKE A BREAK
For your PC, you can get free software (for different operating systems)
 that forces you to take a break. For Windows, check out
 Eyeleo (http:eyeleo.com) -it forces you to take a break every 10 minutes
 and even suggests eye exercises. It will automatically dim your screen
for a longer break you can even set rules to lock the computer down
during that duration. MAC users can get apps such as Time Out Free
 from the Mac App Store for similar functionality.

LIFESPAN TREADMILL DESK
Rs 1,30,000 If you agree that you need to get up and work instead of
sitting down, why not combine it with some exercise too! A treadmill
 desk like this one from LifeSpan can help: it's pricey, but can you
compare it's price to the number of years it'll add to your life?
It has all the features of a typical treadmill too.

THE POSTURE GUIDE
It's been said before but needs repeating. There are a few simple ways
to correct your posture while seated at a desk. First, make sure that your
 chair and table surface are at the right height. Your feet should be flat
on the ground and your knees should be bent at about a 90 degree angle.
 Your arms should hang freely, again bent at 90-degrees at the elbow.
Your eyes should be somewhere near the top of your computer monitor.
 If your table height is not adjustable, you can use 3M's Vertical Notebook Riser
(for a laptop) and a box (for a monitor).

THE STANDING DESK ­
Rs 1,800 onwards It definitely looks weird, but there are undeniable health
benefits to standing rather than sitting down at work. Obviously, this doesn't
 mean that you should be standing all day. A lot of research suggests that we
 spend almost 6 hours sitting down (in a regular 8 hour work day). And sitting
 for that long is directly linked to a host of problems, including cardiovascular
 disease, obesity, diabetes and even cancer. To help reduce fatigue while
 standing for long periods, some suggest the use of anti fatigue mats: essentially
 rubberised mats that offer cushioning and anti-slip properties. If you feel
 that the motorised standing desks are too high an investment, a simple
laptop table with adjustable height (between 26 to 46-inches table height)
will also do.

GYM BALL
Rs 1,000 onwards Ditch the boring office chair for a gym ball ­ the same
 kind you find in the gym.Everyone agrees that sitting in one place for too
 long is back for you ­ however, in an office, when you have work ­ you have
 to sit. If a standing desk is not an option, get one of these. While on the gym
 ball, your muscles have to work harder and this helps you stay fitter.

PULSE OXIMETER
Rs 1,300 This tiny battery powered gizmo is small enough to be carried
anywhere. It clips on to a finger and can read out your pulse rate and blood
oxygensaturation levels in a few seconds. You can find out your heart rate
while resting and with moderate exercise ­ this gives an indication of your
fitness levels. It is noninvasive and uses red + infrared light to determine
how much oxygen your blood is carrying (higher is better).

BACKJOY­
Rs 2,000 onwards All chairs are not equal -and in an office environment,
you may not have the luxury of choosing what kind of chair you sit on.
The solution is in the form of a product called Backjoy. It's a simple but
 precisely moulded piece of plastic that you place on the chair ­ and sit the
 chair ­ and sit on. The shape engages your core muscles and forces you to
 sit in a better, more upright position.
Karan Bajaj & Hitesh Raj Bhagat

ET16SEP15

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