How to Do Ergonomic Exercises at Work

Even if your office environment is optimally designed for comfort and efficiency, your body may feel the effects of sitting at your PC all week long. Stationary typing postures increase our risk of circulation problems and musculoskeletal stress, so make a point of doing ergonomic exercises during your workweek to prevent eye strain, back tension and numbness or tingling in your limbs.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Therapy exercise band, towel or scarf
• Ball of putty or exercise resistance ball for the hands

1. Take a break from computer work by looking away from your screen every half hour or so. Just like other muscles in your body, your eyes need exercise to build strength and reduce muscle strain. Focus on the object farthest from your desk and hold your gaze there for several seconds. Next, stare at something halfway between the first object and your computer. Do that for a few seconds and after your eyes have adapted, return your gaze to the computer screen. Repeating this process several times helps train your eyes to focus on objects at varying distances.
2. Put your call on speaker phone and do 10 shoulder rolls in each direction while you're talking. Concentrate on allowing your shoulders to pull away from your ears on the downward part of the movement, as though you were holding heavy weights in your hands. Remember to breathe deeply throughout the exercise.
3. Hold your arms out in front of you, parallel to the floor, grasping the ends of a therapy resistance band, towel or scarf. Pull your hands apart until the band or fabric is taut. Maintaining the outstretched arm position, twist your body side to side, allowing your head and neck to follow the motion. These exercises provide a lateral spine stretch and a tension release for your mid and upper back. Simple Fitness Solutions sells a number of exercise bands and resistance tubing ideal for an office setting or for travel when you have minimal storage space (see Resources below).
4. Play with putty or clay at your desk when you're on the phone or waiting for files to download. Try Thera-Flex Therapy Putty, an inexpensive product available at Isokinetics, Inc. (see Resources below). Therapy Putty is odorless and non-staining, and is designed to exercise tight, keyboard-fatigued hand muscles and relieve arthritis symptoms. Isokinetics, Inc. also offers the Eggsercizer, an egg-shaped exercise ball available in several resistance levels.
5. Relax your neck while you're waiting for the printer. Slowly turn your head side to side, breathing deeply with the movement. Inhale as you rotate to one side, and exhale as you return to the center. Repeat this ergonomic movement ten to fifteen times, allowing shoulder and neck muscles to mobilize.
6. Get the most out of your coffee break. Turn off the lights and sit up straight in your chair with your back against the backrest and your spine in a neutral position. Focus on tensing every muscle in your body, beginning with your toes and feet and moving to the top of your head. Take a deep breath as you tighten every muscle group, and hold that position for 10 to 15 seconds before releasing it with a long exhale. As you exhale, visualize muscle tension and negative feelings flowing out of your body along with your breath. Do this several times in a row to experience muscle relaxation and a brief mental vacation from work.