Office Life: Taking Ergonomics Seriously

It can be hard to take ergonomics serious in the workplace. These days, ever product on the market seems to bear the ergonomic label. Never the less, being ergonomically correct is a big deal. If you want to operate comfortably and at peak performance levels in the workplace, you'll need to take ergonomics seriously. In today's Office Life article we'll highlight ways that you can become more ergonomically efficient. Take control of your work day with the tips provided here!

We all know that ergonomics is important. That being said, we often struggle with bad habits that keep us from being at our best. The biggest ergo killer in the workplace is bad posture. Sitting incorrectly in your office chair will make you susceptible to back pain and major health issues. If you truly want to solve the posture epidemic, you can't be afraid to regularly adjust your office chair.

Most ergonomic specialists will tell you to adjust your chair multiple times throughout the day to meet the demands of any specific task. Need to turn on your computer, don't bend over and strain yourself to do it. Simply lower your chair height! Getting something out of your overhead hutch? Don't over extend to get it. Raise your chair seat to make it more accessible.

There are other key adjustments that must be mastered if you want to improve posture and take ergonomics seriously. First and foremost, don't slouch in your chair or hunch over your keyboard tray to type. When seated, keep you back in contact with the chair at all times. This may require multiple adjustments, but the benefits gained are well worth it. Let's put it this way, you can have the most expensive ergonomic office chair on the planet, but if you lean away from it's primary support center when working, it will provide minimal benefits.

You'll also want to keep your head aligned with your computer screen while working. Avoid looking down at the screen when typing. In most cases, this simple tip will require you to raise your monitor height. You can purchase an articulating monitor arm to make things easy, If funds are tight, use a box or stack of books. It may not look fancy but at least you'll be saving yourself from neck pain and eye strain!

Ever sit with your legs propped up on the base of your office chair? How about with your feet crossed? These are bad habits you need to fix quick. When operating at your desk, be sure to keep your feet facing forward and flat on the ground. This will improve blood flow and reduce fatigue throughout the day. It's also a great way to show you're taking ergonomics seriously!

Last but not least, take the time to get up from your workstation once every hour. As sitting for long periods of time can actually reduce your life space, this is one tip you don't want to skip. Stand up, take a deep breath, and stretch for a minute or two. Walk around and stay loose! Don't allow your muscles to tighten up on you when working. Staring at that computer screen for long hours is certainly no good. Standing up and taking a short break will allow your eyes to readjust properly.

Let's be honest, posture tips are hard to remember when your in the middle of a busy project at work. To help, make a tip chart and place it within eye site of your workstation. Studies have shown that this simple practice yields major results.

Taking ergonomics seriously in the workplace doesn't mean you'll need to invest large sums of money. Most of the best ergonomic office accessories on the market cost around two hundred bucks, and you don't need them all at once.

Start with a good office chair. We recommend the Cherryman Industries iDesk Ambarella chair for shoppers on a budget. It's available now for just $206.50. Next, get your keyboard off the surface of your desk. Purchase an articulating keyboard tray to free up desk space and keep you computing at correct angles. Additional products like a dual screen monitor mount will help you reduce eye strain and the rate at which you compute. Excellent models are available from brands like Global Total Office, ESI, and Symmetry Office. Purchasing ergonomic products one at a time will provide you with the time needed to master each before purchasing another.

In the long run, if you take ergonomics seriously you'll be improving life in the office. You'll be more comfortable. You'll be more productive. You'll be more effective. When combined, these three valuable attributes mean you'll be more happy, and that's what it's all about. Take the time to make ergonomics a priority. You'll be glad you did.

Here's How The Wrong Office Chair Will Affect Your Work Day...

If you're using an office chairs that's not right for your body type, the odds are, you're dealing with discomfort in the workplace. That being said, operating a chair that's not suited for your individual needs can detrimental to your work day. Here's how...

1.) Cause Fatigue

Using an office chair that doesn't adjust effectively will cause you to reach higher levels of fatigue quicker when working. A good ergonomic chair will adjust in a variety of key ways that allow users to minimize body movements and maximize efficiency. A poor quality chair with limited ergonomic features won't be providing you many benefits at all. In fact, it will be contributing to a drop in performance that should be avoided at all costs. Avoid fatigue and stress in the workplace by selecting a new office chair to that's equipped with the features needed to work at peak performance levels.

2.) Reduce Functionality

It's important to be as versatile and functional as possible in the workplace. That being said, operating in the wrong office chair for your body won't help you achieve either. Office chairs with fixed backs, arms, and bases are far from effective in intensive use work environments. If you're sitting for long periods of time, it's absolutely essential to provide yourself with a chair that's ready for the demands of a long work day. Functional office chairs from brands like Global Total Office, Eurotech Seating, and the Cherryman Industries iDesk collection should be highly considered for your personal seating needs.

3.) Affect Office Appeal

Your chair is a main focal point of your workspace. A stylish chair will do wonders for your decor, while a lack luster office chair will not. Having a good looking office chair sitting behind your desk will earn your workspace the compliments it deserves. This year, trending options like the iOO Ergonomic Executive Chair by Eurotech Seating and the Layover from Ergo Contract Furniture are ready to help you give your office interiors the style boost they deserve. Don't settle for a boring, non adjustable task chair that drags down the appeal of your space. The right office chair isn't hard to find!

4.) Cause Back Pain

Back pain is a productivity killer in the workplace. If you're constantly fidgeting in your office chair do to upper and lower back pain, you're not alone. In most cases, office back pain is caused by sitting for long periods of time in an uncomfortable chair with little support. When sitting, you'll want to keep your back in constant contact with the chair at all times. If the angle of your chair back doesn't adjust, you're in the wrong chair! If you're hunching over your keyboard to type and operate at your desk, your gaining little ergonomic value from your chair. Consider upgrading to a chair with a syncro-tilt mechanism designed to move with your body.

5.) Create Health Problems

Operating the wrong office chair can actually cause you severe health problems. A non ergonomic chair with few adjustment features will reduce blood flow and certainly contribute to back pain. Common problems like knee pain, wrist pain, and neck stiffness can also be directly related to using the wrong office chair. So how do you know which office chair is right for you? You test them! Visit a local showroom, or several! Test out multiple chairs with various features to determine which functions are most beneficial to you. Check out reviews online as well. They can be very helpful. In the long run, the right office chair for you, may not be the right office chair for someone else. That's why it's so important to test out ergonomically correct office chairs with various back heights, arm features, height adjustments, and mechanisms to find out what chair will best accommodate your body type.

Office Comfort: 7 Steps To Superior Posture

Practicing good posture habits in the office is a must if you want to operate and peak performance levels. That being said, bad posture can cause health problems and discomfort that will no doubt affect workplace efficiency. In today's post we'll share with you the 7 must follow posture tips you'll need to function at your absolute best. Enjoy!

1.) Keep Your Head Straight

If you're hunching over your keyboard tray or monitor, the odds are you're looking down and thus practicing poor posture. This bad habit can cause tightness in the neck and back that can be avoided by keeping your head aligned. If you commit to sitting upright and utilize the lumbar support of your chair back, you should find yourself far more effective. Train your body muscles to stay aligned and upright. Your eyes should be level with your computer screen and not slouched over your workstation.

2.) Exercise Your Shoulders

Bad posture will no doubt lead to chest strain and fatigue. To practice good posture in your office chair it's important to keep your shoulders loose and well stretched. Throughout the day, especially during times of stiffness, exercise your shoulders. A few simple shoulder rolls and basic stretches will go a long way towards your performance behind the desk.

3.) Keep Eyes Forward

Up and on task, down and you won't last. This simple rhyme will help you maintain good posture in the office. When you operate at your workstation, try to keep your eyes up and on task as much as possible. Looking down towards your computer screen, talk on the phone, and look at important files keeps you in an imperfect position that's sure to be followed by fatigue. Start by raising your computer screen the correct level. Ergonomic monitor arms that clamp onto a desk are available if your computer screen base doesn't elevate. In addition, raise and lower your office chair regularly to maintain your prime operating position. Avoid looking down as much as possible by using the ergonomic tools already integrated into your workspace. Your posture will improve accordingly, and so will your comfort!

4.) Avoid The Dreaded Slouch

Slouching is one of our biggest enemies in the workplace! There's really nothing good that comes from hunching and slouching over our office desk throughout the day. This all too common office epidemic is typically related to fatigue. When we become tired, often due to bad posture, we tend to slouch and function inefficiently. To prevent this bad habit, stretch regularly and stay energized with healthy foods. Take short breaks and go for a walk outside. You should also make it a habit to eat lunch away from your desk. All these useful tips will help you stay energized and effective. With more energy you'll slouch less, and by slouching less you'll be able to sit more upright and posture perfect!

5.) Deskercise

Deskercise is the latest workplace craze. More than ever, office employees are coming up with fun and innovative ways that we can all exercise right in our office chair and at the desk. Plenty of simple to follow stretches are outlined online that will directly affect your overall posture and comfort. Incorporate a deskercise routine into your weekly to do list. You'll see both health and life benefits far beyond your posture! In the long run, a few simple stretches and desk exercises will help reduce fatigue and keep you loose in your chair.

6.) Practice Proper Wrist Positioning

Wrist pain is yet another ailment that can be directly affected by your posture. The muscles in your hand can become tight and cause you to slow the rate at which your compute. To avoid this common problem and achieve superior posture, form the habit of keeping your wrists flat when operating. Hunched hands over the keyboard just won't cut it! One simple and effective tip is to use piano positioning when typing. Keep your wrists flat and above the keyboard. This helps to avoid curling your hands and causing wrist related pain. Piano positioning will also help your posture and the rate at which you type!

7.) Kick Up Your Feet

Last but not least, kick up your feet! Adjustable ergonomic foot rests provide a ton of posture benefits that we can't afford to operate without. These helpful tools don't take up a ton of space or cost a lot of money. There's really no lesson needed to use a foot rest properly. Simply set the device to a comfy angle and rest your feet on the surface when working. This will help take pressure off the knees, improve blood flow, and reduce fatigue. When combined with the other 6 tips in today's post you'll be sitting posture perfect in no time!

5 Key Ways to Stay Healthy at Work

A healthy work day is a productive one. That being said, staying healthy at work is absolutely essential. Luckily for us all there are several easy ways to do just that. From eating a quality lunch to taking short breaks, the 5 simple practices highlighted in this article are sure to help you build a habit structure that promotes excellence and efficiency in the workplace.

All too often we settle for fast food or other unhealthy solutions at lunch time. In truth, forming a good lunch structure is not the easiest thing to do. Quite frankly, we all love the foods that are unhealthy for us and getting into a good habit structure takes time and patience. Packing a good lunch based around the correct food groups is one key way to ensure you get the proper nutrients and energy you need throughout your day. Those who can't break the habit of eating out should make an effort to review a restaurants menu before visiting. A thought out and healthy meal selection is always better than a rushed order that leaves you with fried chicken or some other overly filling item that leaves you feeling exhausted. In the long run, we all want to eat the foods we enjoy. While at work, focus on the healthy foods you like and plan your meals for the week accordingly. You'll then find yourself with more energy and time to focus on the important tasks at hand.

The value of stretching cannot be under estimated. Take a few minutes to go online and review some common stretches to add to your daily routine. Back stretches are especially important as we all spend the majority of our day sitting down at our desks in the office for extended periods of time. Other stretches like the calf stretch, hamstring stretch, and shoulder stretch are all quite easy to perform in limited space. As a side note, make sure to take proper safety precautions. Start off gently and don't over do it. A simple 5 to 10 minute routine in the morning is enough to get you started.

Taking vitamins is another great way to stay healthy at work. While this simple practice is a good one, meeting with a physician first to determine what vitamins will provide you the biggest benefits is always recommended. Men's and women's one a day vitamins are a quite common and provide the majority of nutrients you need to stay healthy. All to often colds and various illnesses get passed around the workplace. Taking vitamins is a great way to boost your bodies immune system and help you to prevent catching those nasty bugs that can take you out of the loop. Vitamins like B12 are great for energy and should also be considered by those dealing with fatigue on a regular basis throughout their work weeks.

Staying healthy at work also means putting in good habits at home. That being said, a good nights rest is an essential factor in determining just how productive you are during the day. Staying up all night watching movies and eating ice cream is a definite no no. Save those practices for the weekend! An efficient work week is all about good habit structure and routine. Set yourself up for success with a bed time window and provide yourself the 8 hours you need to perform at your best. If you find yourself waking up groggy and heading straight for the coffee pot on a regular basis, you may actually be getting too much sleep! Meeting with a physician to discuss your sleep habits and routine will provide valuable insight that will no doubt improve your lifestyle while improving your health.

Last but certainly not least, taking breaks at work is our last key tip for staying healthy. If you're a workplace grinder who pounds out 40 hours per week staring at a computer screen without ever giving your eyes a rest, you're doing more harm then good! As a side tip, those who just can't pull themselves away should definitely take advantage of all the top rated ergonomic office accessories available in 2013 that guarantee workplace improvement and comfort. Taking a ten minute break every hour to get up, walk around, and stretch provides excellent benefits that prevent us all from getting bogged down. Short breaks also help to prevent anxiety and help to get the blood flowing. In several cases most of us use poor posture when sitting down in chairs for the office that reduce circulation. This causes fatigue that can be avoided by simply standing up and going outside for some fresh air. Most well run businesses actually enforce breaks as they know the benefits provided are more than worth the time.