Ergostyles Blog Working at Home? Adopt an Ergonomic Lifestyle

More people are loving work-at-home opportunities. While some may still be subjected to the 9-5 job, the setup still offers more freedom for everyone-freedom from long hours of commute, expenses for food and fuel, and office politics, to name a few.However, working at home also introduces a health problem: obesity and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Granted, these two are also present in a regular office setting. The major difference is being at home means usually losing track of time. A person gets the perfect excuse to sit for more than 8 hours every single day, doing relatively the same things, than when they are in a traditional office.The sedentary lifestyle that is now becoming common among work-at-home professionals has a major impact on heath and even the country's economy. According to an infographic by Lifespan Fitness, sitting disease, which is roughly being on a chair for as long as 11 hours, can be a contributing factor to more than 250,000 deaths each year in the United States. Further, it increases health care spending to $24 billion!Long work hours at home can also cause injuries and musculoskeletal disorders that affect the joints, tendons, bones, nerves, and even tissues.Our body through our muscles has been designed to be flexible. That is why we are able to run, bend, lift objects, and move our wrists and hands. But like anything else that is placed under a lot of strain, every inch of our body can also suffer from fatigue, as well as wear and tear. The more that it is used, the higher the chances it reaches its limit until it becomes injured.The purposes of ergonomic products such as sit-stand workstations are twofold. First, they are created to improve efficiency, which means a person gets to do the same thing for a shorter period of time. This way, the body part is not exposed to constant use.Secondly, and perhaps the more important, these products are meant for safety. Most of them are created with the users in mind. Armrests, for instance, are higher to make sure the arms are level when typing. The backs of chairs can be designed to follow the spine's curvature to maintain proper posture at all times.Sit-stand workstations, meanwhile, encourages users to spend more time standing, a very routine activity that actually burns 50 calories an hour, more if you are constantly moving around or doing lunges on breaks.According to Oregon OSHA in 2007, ergonomics can help save the government $14,000 and $32,000 from direct and indirect costs associated with MSD claims.The effect also extends to a person's disposition. When employees feel less stressed at work, they derive greater job satisfaction and are overall happy. They are more motivated to do a better job and are often more productive and more efficient. They become excellent assets for any company.It does not need a lot to adopt a healthier, more fulfilling work-at-home lifestyle. You can always begin by embracing ergonomics.