I saw an article today that got me thinking. Specifically, it got me thinking about an incredibly simple yet dragged out lecture I had to endure on manual handling. Everyone seems to have these “manual handling” workshops nowadays, just so they can’t sue their employers when they get given the wrong type of ladder etc… (Damn Lawyers!). One thing that caught my attention though, is that we were warned that even in an ergonomic chair, perfectly set up for the work space (proper height and such), that staying in the same place for more than 20 minutes is terrible for the lower back. Ironically, we were sat in that lecture long enough to make me question this manual handling guy’s “concern” for our posterior chain.
So what I’ve been doing since then is setting a timer to go off in 20 minutes. With it being exam period, I’ve been glued to a chair most of the day, staring at a screen, trying to remember an endless list of unnecessarily complicated bacteria names. The timer goes off, and I get around 20-30 seconds of sweet, sweet freedom. I run downstairs, maybe grab a glass of water, run back up and crack on with the job at hand. Sometimes I even work on my tuck planche (a gymnastic static position I’ve been trying to master) or do a yoga stretch.
It was this article that I noticed today that set me thinking.
I then spotted another, older story that I thought I’d link to.
And mid-writing, I took a break and went over to have a read of The Great Fitness Experiment, and to my surprise, Charlotte had a great post about guess what? … Sitting in the same place for too long, and how it kills you! Here’s what I think she may have been talking about.
Now I’m starting to think that Manual Handling guy was on to something…
Posted by charlotte on 17/01/2011 at 7:43 pm
This: “Ironically, we were sat in that lecture long enough to make me question this manual handling guy’s “concern” for our posterior chain.” is hilarious! Loved your comment on my post and I love your post on it. I am trying your idea of a timer. I’ve already moved my computer to a countertop where I have to stand to use it.
Posted by Real Men Eat Lettuce on 17/01/2011 at 9:50 pm
Haha! Thanks for taking the time to have a look. Moving it to somewhere where you have to stand is a great idea. Unfortunately I don’t have many places in my house where I could do that and not get in everyone’s way.