I work from home, I may have mentioned this on many occasions. Over the last 12 years or so, I’ve worked in some fashion or another in front of a computer. Sometimes I work for five or six hours at a stretch without getting up other than to use the rest room or grab a drink. In the past, when I was in corporate America, I worked a lot longer than that, going so far to just eat my lunch at my desk so I could get my work done.
p
The Internet and the computer are fantastic gifts. They are ideal for getting jobs done and they put a wealth of convenience right at your fingertips. You can order anything from books to clothes to toys to daily essentials like groceries on the Internet. You can do research, host conference calls, build businesses and even educate yourself – all without every taking a step away from the computer screen. This wealth of convenience does come at a stiff price, however.
What is that price?
Being Active Is Healthy
Activity is a part of being a healthy human being. The Internet (despite the numerous fitness and weight loss sites available on it, this one included) and your computer do not help you perform that activity because you have to be sitting still while you are on it.
So what can you do?
Take breaks, frequently and get away from the computer. At one point, I used to set an egg timer on my desk and set it for 45 minutes. Every 45 minutes, it would buzz and I would get up and move around. I’d march in place, stretch my arms, and get the blood flowing. I’d also go do something else for at least 15 minutes. Now, it’s a habit and I don’t even need the egg timer, every 45 minutes or so, I get up and do a household chore, go for a walk or just play with my dogs or daughter. This is useful to your body because it stimulates circulation and anyone who has sat for long hours in the same position can recognize the muscle stiffness and numbness they may feel in their legs and buttocks – this routine helps to avoid that.
Make Time for Fitness
Get out of the house, at least twice a day, I get out the house. Even if all I do is go out and work in the garden for a while near dusk (I really can’t take the heat) or early in the morning, it’s time out of the house and in the fresh air. I also get up every morning and try to go for a walk or a bike ride. These are both fundamentally important to my well-being because they let me get my exercise in before I settle in to working at my computer.
We’re going to talk more about your computer and your fitness and what you can do to have the best of both worlds. How do you moderate your time spent at the computer?