Tai Mingshen

It’s all too easy to sit for hours in front of the PC, typing away and forgetting to take breaks. We all know the result – muscle tension in the neck and shoulders and a real threat of repetitive strain injury. There are many software applications available to remind you about taking breaks. Some of these go a step further and prevent you from continuing your activities on the PC until you take a mandatory break and preferably complete their suggested stretching exercises. Even though I find these applications intrusive, since they often pop-up at the most inconvenient times interrupting a train of thought and preventing me from completing a sentence or saving my work, I know it’s very important to take regular breaks and complete a few stretching exercises.

I do a lot of long distance flying and am aware of the risk of deep vein thrombosis, which can result from sitting in one position for long periods of time. Most long distance carriers include descriptions of stretching exercises in their flight magazines, or show demonstration videos, which really do have a positive effect. The MSU Ergonomics Information website provides simple illustrations and instructions for similar, effective exercises.

[Via: Dumb Little Man and Web Worker Daily]