Taking a break

When was the last time you took a break today from your computer? Have you been sitting there for the last 4 hours and have not gotten up to use the bathroom or get a drink of water? Ideally, you should be taking a break every hour even if it is a micro break. A microbreak is standing up, stretch, and sit back down OR stand and go get a drink or snack or use the bathroom. Some other breaks you can do if you work from home is get up to start laundry or move the laundry from the washing machine to the dryer or take the laundry out of the dryer and place them in your room…to be folded later on your next break. At the office, take a break to go talk to a co-worker versus e-mailing them or IM’ing them. Go out for lunch and sit outside or take a walk for 15 minutes after you have eaten. When you are on your cell phone with a wireless headset, walk around the office, if you don’t need to be looking at your computer. If you have a wired headset, stand, and continue your conversation versus sitting. If you have an adjustable workstation raise it to standing elbow height and stand for 10-15 minutes and increase it over time. Refer to this article in Newsweek on how much you should stand during the day: How Much Standing Is Required to Stay Healthy? (newsweek.com).

If you have any further questions, contact me at kgranataclark@ergonomicsandyou.com, my website is www.ergonomicsandyou.com, or you can schedule some time with me to discuss this topic at https://calendly.com/ergonomicsandyou/1-1-consult.