Hours spent in front of a computer can leave you feeling sluggish and worn down, even if what you’re actually accomplishing is fun, exciting and innovative. Even if it’s just spreadsheets, keeping alert throughout the day, whether you’re hacking new frontiers in cyberspace or hunkered down writing login pages and double-checking javascripts, is easier with a few health hacks on your side.
Desktop Do’s and Don’ts
The symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome are well documented, and the illness springs up over time after countless keyboard strokes, but there’s a lot you can do to minimize the risk. Keeping your keyboard and mouse at elbow level and avoiding angling your wrists is crucial. You should also make sure that your eyes are level with your monitor, or looking slightly downwards at it, to keep yourself from adopting a strange, and often painful, neck posture.
Consider getting a foot rest, even if your feet don’t feel tired after a long day working at a desktop. Angled foot rests can help keep blood flowing to your legs and pumping throughout your body. They also make a great tax-deductible fidget tool for those periods when you need a distraction from the umpteenth spreadsheet of the day.
Standing Room Only
Standing desks are all the rage for that rare set of programmers who like to spend time outdoors on weekends. These desks can help improve posture and keep blood flowing all day long, but too much standing can cause health problems as well as alleviate them. Moderation is key when it comes to standing or sitting. Take regular breaks whether you’re parked at a desktop or going for a marathon coding session supported only by your own two legs.
Use these breaks to go through some quick squats. The rising and seating motion engages your core muscles and can help combat some of the downsides to being stuck at a computer all day long. Even if your idea of hiking is more to the break room than the local bluffs, this quick and simple exercise can keep you feeling alert and awake.
Ergonomics
Poor ergonomics can lead to a host of problems that the right chair type or standing desk can only partially eliminate. Along with a footrest, accessories such as wristpads, adjustable-height seats and removable lumbar supports can help keep your body in the best position for regular work.
Ergonomic support can also include accessories or settings that prevent eye strain. Consider adjusting the monitor brightness to complement the room you’re in or getting an anti-glare screen to fit over your monitor during daylight hours.
Laptop Lifestyle
Many digital nomads and engineers decide to get a laptop so they can work in comfort wherever they roam. Comfort doesn’t always mean the healthiest conditions, though. Make sure you have a bag that offers plenty of support for your back and waist whenever you have to tote your laptop around, and try to maintain good posture whether you’re working from a coffee-shop table or a comfy couch at a friend’s house.
Those truly attached to their laptops know to keep a lock and spare key at hand for those quick trips to the restroom during work, but it also helps to keep a cleaning kit with compressed air, a microfiber cloth and LCD cleaning solution handy. In a pinch, the cleaning solution can also work as a hand sanitizer, keeping you from catching the germs in public places when you work.
Tracking Tech FTW
Those looking to remain or get truly fit can find all sorts of apps and workout tracking software to enhance their routines. Make sure that tracking doesn’t become your only real exercise, however, as it’s easy to confuse the perception of activity with the real thing. Tracking tech makes it easier to customize your own workouts, but it can quickly become overwhelming if tracking takes as much effort as exercising.
Look for simple tracking tech that does much of the work for you. Fitness bands often prove inaccurate, making it better to manually measure results and then allow systems with trend lines and other feedback tools to make suggestions for your workout and diet. Tracking results as well as activities and foods gives you everything you need to stay fit, whether you’re spending time at a standard desk, standing desktop or toting around the latest laptop hardware.