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Creaky
Joints And A Hunched Back - Must Growing Old Be Like That?
As a child, your mother would definitely have warned you about
keeping the correct posture, sitting up straight, walking tall, or risk growing
up a hunchback. Not only were her warnings true, they are ever more pertinent
today. With the development of cities, less people are toiling in the fields.
Working now refers mostly to computer work, in an air-conditioned office,
emailing, printing, faxing, photocopying. While computers might have led to
greater efficiency in the workforce, they present us with another host of
problems.
Sitting at a computer for 8 hours a day, everyday, unmoving, it comes as no
surprise that eyestrains and backaches are common. Many of us don't bother to
practice good posture. Staring down at a laptop or a poorly adjusted monitor
will result in neck aches. The same goes for speaking on the phone for extended
hours. Typing unending pages of documents daily leads to Repetitive Strain
Injury ( RSI ). These are the ailments of the modern day. The occasional stretch
does little to alleviate the problem. Besides, in the hectic pace of modern
society, few people have the luxury of time to practice a strict regimen of
effective stretching.
If nothing is done about the current situation, the lean and healthy elder will
be a thing of the past. While eating the correct food and frequent exercise
might keep you healthy on the inside, all is for naught if our daily lives are
faced with a constant barrage on our bones, joints and muscles.
Thankfully, some employers have already been jolted up to the reality of the
situation. The purchase of ergonomic gear such as monitor shields to relief
eyestrain and ergonomic chairs to help their workers adopt better posture are to
be applauded. Unfortunately though, they are simply not enough. Humans were not
designed to be sitting down for hours on end, ploughing through their day
inactively, aside from the occasional trip to the coffee machine. More has to be
done in the workplace to ensure the sustainable health of office workers.
This plight of office workers cannot be fully observed until the current
generation of office workers reach old age. The last decade witnessed the
onslaught of the computerized workplace, resulting in many paper-pushing jobs
being converted to computerized ones. The long-term effect of constant aches and
strains is eponymous; it can only be seen years on.
In the late 19th Century, Frederick Winslow Taylor founded the Scientific
Management Method, which dictated that every task should be carried out in the
most efficient manner to increase overall productivity. Taylor helped coal
miners by tinkering with the size and weight of coals until the fastest
shoveling rate was achieved. In this current day and age, David Meyerowitz has
developed the Stretch Smart Method to help office workers increase their
alertness and concentration by a series of quick stretches. These stretches were
designed for maximal effect in a minimized time frame, resulting in them also
being more aware of the impact of their work on their bodies.
Necessity breeds invention, and in this case David Meyerowitz has designed a
potential solution to the computer and office related ailments as mentioned
earlier. While his method is a major step forward in the elimination of
work-related strains, the general health of workers requires a more holistic
approach, something that keeps them up physiologically, mentally and
emotionally.
Allan Estevan couldn't walk for 2 weeks recently due to working in a comfortable
office. Fortunately, he discovered the Stretch Smart Program ( http://www.stretchingforgoodhealth.info
). Now back aches are a thing of the past.
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