[dropcap]O[/dropcap]h my back! Ah…my knees. These moans are an occurrence in most offices today. Your moaning and groaning isn’t because “you’re getting old.” It’s because you live in a world were you abuse your body in a way that a pro wrestler couldn’t dream of.
You sit at your desk for extended periods of time and you move in the same motions for the same amount of time.
It’s likely you’re slouched over your keyboard reading this post now.
Forget the lions and bears. Today it’s sitting, typing, oh my.
We do unto our selves what others would not do unto themselves - 100 years ago.
Aches and pains from repetitive strain injury
Your body aches most days, I get that. Hell, your body aches when you get up in the morning.
A recent study out of the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity took a sample population of 63,048 men between 45 − 64 years of age. They compared men sitting less that 4 hours a day to men sitting greater than 4 hours a day. Males who sat greater than 4 hours a day were more likely to report having chronic disease and diabetes.
Sitting greater than 4 hours a day significantly alters the way our human bodies physiology is supposed to perform.
This translates into you moaning and groaning from body aches and pains.
Sitting, typing over a keyboard isn’t the answer.
But this is also what the modern business world asks of you so we’ll get to that in a second.
One of the primary pains you feel is due to repetitive strain injury. These small annoyances can lead to bigger issues over time. A 2004 review stated:
Upper limb pain (defined by anatomic region) is very common in the general population. By self report, 10% to 20% of the population have had shoulder pain that lasted more than one week in the previous month, 5% to 10% report elbow pain, and 5% to 15% report hand pain. About 10% of community UK samples report forearm pain. Even more (34%) report shoulder pain that lasted more than one day in the previous month. Upper limb pain is associated with significant disability in the community: 57% of working age adults who reported shoulder pain had reduced working capacity and 35.5% of them needed help at least occasionally.
Repetitive strain injury is a common occurrence among business professionals and entrepreneurs. [TWEET THIS]
Online demands and connectivity have become paramount to our lives. Your are at the mercy of the internet. But you do not have to become a victim of it.
Change your habits
Repetitive strain injury and the body aches that go with it can be minimized.
I know, who would have ever thought.
To combat these specific body aches, fitness training is reported to reduce pain levels by more than 50%.
Your body's ability to rapidly activate muscles reduces pain and encourages type II muscle fiber generation. The kind that generates power.
In order to fix your repetitive strain injury and body aches, fitness is the primary way to combat your sedentary lifestyle. I choose to get a jump on my day and walk in the state park on my off days. Invigorating.
Hire a fitness coach, get up from your desk and do push-up, walk in the park or even walk around the building.
Whatever you do, get off your butt every 50 minutes.
This will not only help your body aches but it'll help your energy levels too.
Where do your body aches occur? Does this effect your motivation and energy throughout the day? Comment below.