Home Work
Now this is a story, all about how, my life got flipped-turned upside down. And I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there. I’ll tell you how I became the prince of my big comfy couch.
(thanks to the Fresh Prince for the inspiration)
If you are like me and the millions of other people across the globe, who are trying to do their part in helping flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic, you already might be a little restless or starting to get restless from being cooped up inside your house (however big or small it may be).
For me personally, I enjoy the benefits of having a relatively active lifestyle thanks to my profession. I am usually on my feet and moving for 8-12 hours a day working. Then coming home and doing more work/ activity at home. Unfortunately, having all of this drastically change in the matter of hours and days, means that I’ve needed to adapt quite quickly.
This is a challenging time for all of us and I, along with millions of others, feel the increased stress and elevated levels of anxiety related to the uncertainty of our future [employment].
One of the few bright spots to this situation, is gaining valuable time with my 6 month old daughter and being able to provide my wife with a little break from her tireless efforts of maintaining our household and raising my daughter (thanks love, you’re doing a heck of a job).
During these tough and unfamiliar times, it is important to find ways to help reduce our already elevated levels of stress and anxiety, to provide some mental clarity, whilst also trying to maintain a somewhat active and healthy lifestyle.
For millions of North Americans, working from home is not much of a change in pace, other than the views surrounding them and the workspace arrangement/ setup, their sedentary work-life balance remains unchanged.
The small change in setup does however, have important ramifications on our bodies, as spending countless hours in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable/ ergonomically poor environment, can lead to the development of work-related overuse issues and postural strain.
Some little recommendations on how to modify these issues:
Ensure your work-place setup is ergonomically sound (as best as possible)- joints comfortably positions at 90 degrees, feet flat on the ground, back comfortable with adequate lumbar support using pillow, towel, or well designed chair. Have your computer screen set up so that the top of the screen is eye level.
Get up every 20-30 mins.
Change work locations or move from sitting to standing for an 1/2 to full hour.
Give your eyes a rest and look away from the screen for even 20-30 seconds.
Stand or walk around the house if on a call as opposed to sitting.
If the weather permits, sit outside and get some Vitamin D.
Try squatting/ stooping for a few minutes every day to stretch out the hips and back.
Try laying flat on your stomach or propped up in a baby cobra position for 5 mins or more if your time/ work permits
If you have an exercise program from your therapist, use the exercises as an excuse to break up your workday/ positions.
Remember, there is no PERFECT posture, but that does not mean spending too much time in any one position is great for you. Our bodies are meant to move.
For those of you who are just like me, active in many aspects of life, it’s important to continue doing our best to stay as mobile or active as possible, even when our work-life balance has been drastically flipped-turned upside down.
Be smart in doing so. During this time of social distancing, avoid exercising in large groups or playing sports in group settings outdoors (soccer, basketball, football, etc.).
Short on weights? Find things within your house-hold that you can use as a substitute. For example, a small child, case of beer, grocery bag full of canned goods, jugs/ bottles of water, furniture; are all ways of adding weight/ resistance to your exercises.
Short on space? use hallways, stair-cases, your balcony/ deck.
Short on time? This shouldn’t really be an excuse during this pandemic, so do some arranging of your daily planner and find the time, as there is likely lots of it for some of you who are in a similar boat as me.
Not motivated? Don’t set big plans or goals to start. Be realistic with what you can achieve in the time you have. Starting out small and gradually building up is the safest way of going about it so that you don’t run into any injuries as a result of over-training. Little by little, your motivation and desire to continue will increase. Too much, too soon often spells disaster, either in the form of injury or as DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness) causing us to pause for a few days and making us more discouraged about exercising.
As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them behind or reach out to me via email (arasruslys@gmail.com), instagram (@Ahh_rass_physio), or Facebook (Aras Ruslys -Physiotherapist).
Live active and prosper.
Aras Ruslys
Registered Physiotherapist
Concussion Management/ Vestibular Therapist
