1) Bio-Mechanic Ergonomics 101:
a. Adjust the height of your monitor and chair so that the mid-lowest line of text on your monitor is at eye level, your keyboard is level with your elbows (bent 90 degrees max) and your knees are bent at least 90 degrees.
b. Keep your mouse and phone easily accessible.
c. Stand up to reach for things so you can use your body more fully and distribute the action through the entire body.
d. Keep your mouse, phone, pens, water and healthy snacks as easily accessible as possible.
e. Invest in a good chair or bolster your current one until you feel supported. Adjust your chair height so that your thighs are close to parallel to the floor, with the hips slightly higher than the knees.
2) Losing Energy?
a. Check your water intake.
b. Eat high energy snacks including nuts, dried and fresh fruit, applesauce and yogurt or a sardines with high fiber crackers.
3) Decrease Sugar Intake:
a. Drink water, not juice, sports drinks, soda or any of those other high sugar drinks. There is often as many grams of sugar in juice as in other drinks. Eat the fruit instead. You get 1/4 of the sugar and all the fiber.
4) Get up and walk or stretch in your chair every 30minutes. Invest in a stretch alert program.
5) Decrease eye-strain:
a. Increase the percentage at which you view your documents. Go to the View pull down menu, click on Zoom, try 125% if you are over 40 and 150% if you are over 60.
b. Increase the brightness of your monitor (MAC keyboard shortcuts are F1 and F2).
6) Work Lunch into Your Wellness Plan:
a. Eat away from your desk.
b. Schedule lunch with friends to prioritize socializing over eating, help interrupt office tension patterns and get perspective from people who care about you.
c. Walk to the further away lunch spot.
d. Eat outdoors.
e. Seek out gardens.
7) If you must eat at your desk, create as pleasant an environment as possible. To aid digestion, avoid taking phone calls, meetings and/or notes while eating.
8) Breath deeply and soften your body consciously if you feel uncomfortable.
9) Invest in a plant for your desk and use a personal size air purifier and humidifier to combat recycled office air and dehydration. Some are small enough to fit in a drawer at the end of the day.Neti Pot
10) Flush your sinuses at the end of the day with a Neti Pot to combat colds and flu that might be going around. Click on Neti to see how you can literally rinse your sinuses with warm water and a little salt to flush out bacteria, pollens, allergens etc. Hold one nostril closed over sink, fill other with mildly salty water by tilting head to one side till water fills sinuses and flows to other nostril, let it drain out the other side. Repeat with other nostril.