Health and Working on Computers
Well, there doesn't seem much in the way of arguments about the detrimental effects to a person's health when they spend all day, every day stuck in front of a computer, whether it be their job, or a way of whiling away the hours playing computer games or idly surfing the Internet for whatever.
That kind of lifestyle has a name, which is "sedentary" and while it might seem like a good idea to be doing very little in the way of activity at the time, doing it for a lengthy period of time can result in poor health and a whole brace of physical problems in later life.
Sedentary Lifestyle
It all adds up to a sedentary lifestyle which is definitely bad for you if you do it for a prolonged period. When weeks turn into months, then you are going to need to think of ways to counteract the lack of exercise that sitting still for several hours (or more) every day entails.
This all adds up to lack of energy and a feeling of tiredness and lethargy creeping over you more often. Physically, you will experience muscle wastage and a reduced metabolism, which combine to create a situation where you have even less energy and less will to do any exercise to correct the problem.
It leads to weight gain because your body is storing much more fat, due to the lack of its ability to burn off the excess. There is also the tendency to have a working lunch that consists of fast food or to eat more high calorie, high carbohydrate snacks while working in an attempt to improve concentration and stave off tiredness, which leads to a vicious circle of even more weight gain and less energy!
We need a way to avoid the ill-health aspects of spending a lot of time sitting still that can also include mental as well as physical problems, such as fuzziness or brain fog, poor memory, difficulty concentrating etc.
Getting More Active
The obvious thing to do for improved health is to take regular breaks from the computer and go out for walks if the weather is fine. Alternatively, you could go to the local swimming pool for a swim to shake out the cobwebs and give your muscles a reason for existing, other than to move a mouse around on its mat!
Other things you can do without even leaving the house is to take a few runs up and down the stairs until you are out of breath. Then rest until you catch your breath and try it once or twice more. You could do the dreaded housework with some gusto, making a concerted effort to swish that broom with purpose and really force that vacuum cleaner head into the carpet!
It all burns calories and forces your muscles to work, which is what you need to do to avoid the debilitating consequences that doing nothing will inevitably bring about. It also helps with losing weight naturally which is important especially if you have been gaining weight through a long period of inactivity.
It also helps to be mindful of what it is that you're eating during the day. Your diet is important! The more obvious points are in avoiding sugar as much as you can as well as reducing the amount of refined carbohydrates you're consuming and instead try eating more fresh fruit in place of processed, sugary snacks.
So be open and honest with yourself about your current work situation. Make a point of reminding yourself, next time you have a marathon go on the computer, that your body was designed to move around. Then get up and go and do something!
- Terry Didcott
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Posted on Wed, 20 Nov 2013 in Health | 0 Comments
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