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Drinking Water Improves Job Performance

Drinking Water Improves Job Performance

Post By: Celeste McLaughlin, Ergonomics Manager
Produced by: Solutions Northwest, Inc. (Ergonomics Experts serving Washington, Oregon, and California)
Ergonomics Tips: Drinking Water Improves Job Performance
Drinking Water Improves Job Performance

“If you’ve noticed more joint pain and stiffness as you’ve gotten older, you may be overlooking a critical cause that most people don’t realize can affect joint health: hydration (or lack thereof).”  Dr. Williams

The water cooler is your friend. Whether you’re sitting in an office or walking the floor of a warehouse, you should always stay hydrated at work. Water will not only keep you from being thirsty, it will also provide you with health benefits and help keep you and your workers productive at work.

Learn how drinking water helps you become a better worker and just how much water should you should drink.

The benefits of water

According to organicfacts.net, the health benefits of drinking water include “the maintenance of energy levels, body temperature, metabolism, and breathing. It helps in the prevention of constipation, heartburn, migraines, gastritis, ulcers, kidney stones, cardiovascular disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, backaches, and osteoporosis.” Water also plays important roles in kidney function and skin care.

The key takeaway is that water can help you boost your energy. It may be time to consider switching from the daily coffee or energy drink to focusing on staying hydrated for that extra energy boost at work.

How much water should you drink per day?

Consuming half your body weight in ounces of water every day is recommended. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should drink 75 oz. (7 ½ cups) of water every day. If it’s hot, or you are exercising you should up your water intake. When drinking something dehydrating such as a caffeinated drink or a glass of alcohol, it is recommended to drink 1.5 oz. of water for every oz. of caffeinated drink or alcohol you’ve consumed.

Remember, you don’t have to pour a glass of water to consume water, as 20% of our water intake can be fulfilled by a proper diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

How do you know if you’re not getting enough water?

If you experience any of these symptoms, try drinking more water:

  • Fatigue
  • Headache
  • Lightheadedness
  • Dark under eye circles
  • Dry mouth
  • Dry skin
  • Constipation
  • Dizziness
  • Irritability and confusion
  • Dark colored urine
  • Heat exhaustion
  • Kidney stones
  • Rapid heart beat
  • Shriveled dry skin which lacks elasticity

In Conclusion

Drink plenty of water at work. Water is usually provided by most employers for free and is much cheaper than coffee (if you must buy it bottled). If there are no water coolers in your workplace, speak with an office administrator or supervisor to see if management will install one for you. Remember to always consult with your doctor to rule out a possible underlying cause of pain at work.

Hopefully these ergonomics tips can help keep your workplace a safe work place. For more guidance on all work related health and safety issues, visit SolutionsNW.com or Contact Us for more information.

Be sure to subscribe to our blog for more ergonomics tips from Solutions Northwest Inc., ergonomics consultants located in Washington State, Northern California, Oregon, Seattle, Olympia, Tacoma, and Portland.

 

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Ice versus Heat for Lower Back

Ice versus Heat for Lower Back

By Celeste McLaughlin, Ergonomics Manager
Solutions Northwest, Inc. – Arcata, California

Ice VS Heat for Lower Back Pain Relief

“More than half of Americans (54%) who experience low back pain spend the majority of their workday sitting.” TheGoodBody

Whether your workstation has been designed by an ergonomic specialist or not, constantly sitting at your work desk can lead to lower back pain. In fact, 54% of Americans with sedentary jobs experienced low back pain.

After a long day of sitting at work, you may want to treat your back pain, but should you grab the ice pack or the heating pad?

After Injury, Apply Cold Therapy First

If you injure your lower back, it is best to apply cold therapy during the first 24 to 72 hours. Cold therapy will help minimize inflammation and swelling, which reduces pain and can decrease tissue damage. While there are special ice packs designed for cold therapy, a frozen towel or even a bag of vegetables will do.

However, it is important to be careful when using ice packs as they can burn your skin. Try using a cloth between your skin and the cold source. Do not use cold therapy for more than 20 minutes at a time and do not use it more than 10 times during a 24 hour period.

Apply Heat After Initial Swelling and Inflammation has Subsided

After you use cold therapy to bring down swelling and inflammation, begin using heat therapy to encourage the healing process. Heat therapy increases the blood flow to your injury, bringing more nutrients to the injured area while flushing out the injured debris. Heat also increases tissue elasticity, which helps relieve tension and knots.

For minor back tension, 15-20 minutes of heat therapy may be enough. For more intense pain, 30 minutes to 2 hours of heat therapy may be needed.

Apply dry or moist heat (whichever you prefer) with over the counter heat pads, creams, saunas, or hot tub. An easy home remedy is to fill an old sock with rice or oatmeal, tie or sew it shut, and put it in the microwave for 1-3 minutes.

Use caution to avoid burns, as you should be experiencing warmth and not intense heat.

Ice vs Heat for Chronic Lower Back Pain

What if you don’t have a new injury, but just have chronic lower back pain from sitting all day at the office? In this case, there really is no right answer when it comes to hot versus cold. Everyone is different, so trial and error may be in order.

However, some experts suggest that you should use heat therapy to loosen up your muscles for the work day and use cold therapy afterward to help with any pain and inflammation.

In Conclusion

Remember, when it comes to any kind of pain or injury, always consult with your doctor first. Also, be sure to get up and walk around every 20 minutes while at work and live an active life to help avoid any workplace injuries. For more health tips, exercise ideas, and suggestions to keep your workplace a healthy environment, check out our blog featuring advice from our ergonomics experts.

For an ergonomics consultation to keep your workplace safe and healthy, visit SolutionsNW.com or Contact Us for more detailed information.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our blog for more ergonomics tips from Solutions Northwest Inc., ergonomics consultants located in Washington State, Northern California (Arcata), Oregon, Seattle, Olympia, Tacoma, and Portland.

 

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3 Shoulder Stretches for Desk Workers

3 Shoulder Stretches for Desk Workers

Post By: Celeste McLaughlin, Ergonomics Manager
Produced by: Solutions Northwest, Inc. (Ergonomics Experts serving Washington, Oregon, and California)

3 Shoulder Stretches for Desk Workers

”In a typical working day, people spend an average of 7.7 hours sitting” – 2008 Vanderbilt University study

Many workstations require workers to sit and look at their computer screens for hours every day. While every office admin should consult with an ergonomics consultant to ensure the workstation is properly set up, repetitive and strenuous work may still lead to workplace injury if you do not properly care for your body.

Beyond making sure to take breaks by getting up and moving, try these 3 shoulder stretches our ergonomics experts have collected from the CCOHS.

1. Shoulder Roll

Tight or tense shoulders? The shoulder roll will help you relax your shoulder muscles. Sit back in your office chair, and slowly roll your shoulders backward 5 times in a circular motion. Next, roll your shoulders forward.
Shoulder Roll Stretch

2. Shoulder Shrug

Sitting all day at your workstation can lead to tightness or tension in the shoulder and neck area, try the shoulder shrug to relax the muscles. Begin by raising the top of your shoulders towards your ears until you feel slight tension in your neck and shoulders. Hold this feeling of tension for 3 to 5 seconds, then relax your shoulders downward into their normal position. You can repeat this 2 or 3 more times.
Shoulder Shrug Stretch

3. Neck Relaxer

Relax a sore, computer neck with the neck relaxer stretch. Begin by dropping your head slowly to the right, trying to touch your right ear to your right shoulder. Repeat on the left side. Then, slowly drop your chin to your chest, turn your head all the way to the right, then turn all the way to the left.
Neck Relaxer Stretch

In Conclusion

Staying proactive by stretching at your workstation is a great way to avoid workplace injury. If you are in serious pain, be sure to consult with your doctor to see if it is serious. And for more tips check out our blog featuring advice from our ergonomics experts.

For an ergonomics consultation, visit SolutionsNW.com or Contact Us for more detailed information.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our blog for more ergonomics tips from Solutions Northwest Inc., ergonomics consultants located in Washington State, Northern California (Arcata), Oregon, Seattle, Olympia, Tacoma, and Portland.

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Exercise at your desk: Hamstring stretches for your lower back.

Exercise at your desk: Hamstring stretches for your lower back.

Post By: Celeste McLaughlin, Ergonomics Manager
Produced by: Solutions Northwest, Inc. (Ergonomics Experts serving Olympia, Seattle, Salem, Portland, Arcata, and more.)

Watch Solutions Northwest Inc.’s Ergonomics Exercises video series:
Exercise at your desk: Hamstring exercises for your lower back” by clicking on the image above or visiting our YouTube channel.

After watching the video, find more exercises you can do at your desk:

Working out can seem like quite the chore, but our Ergonomics Consultants at Solutions Northwest, have compiled a list of exercises that you’re able to do at work – and better yet, you can do most of these exercises while sitting down on your office chair.

Check out this playlist of exercises that strengthen your core, improve your posture while sitting, and provide enough strength to make it through a sedentary, office workday.

Ergonomics Exercises you can do at your desk Playlist:

Our ergonomics experts have assembled these workouts for you in order to help make your office an injury free work zone.

Be sure to share these tips with your employees, especially if you work in the Human Resources or Office Administration department. For more guidance on all work related health and safety issues, visit SolutionsNW.com or Contact Us for more detailed information.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our blog for more ergonomics tips from Solutions Northwest Inc., ergonomics consultants located in Washington State, Northern California, Oregon, Seattle, Olympia, Tacoma, and Portland.

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Tips to Survive Sitting all day at Work

Tips to Survive Sitting all day at Work

Post By: Celeste McLaughlin, Ergonomics Manager
Produced by: Solutions Northwest, Inc. (Ergonomics Experts serving Washington, Oregon, and California)

Tips to Survive Sitting all day at Work
”In a typical working day, people spend an average of 7.7 hours sitting” – 2008 Vanderbilt University study

If you work in an office environment, there is a good chance that most of your workday involves sitting at your work desk. In fact, according to British Psychological Society, people spend an average of 5 hours and 41 minutes per day sitting at their desk. Once you factor in commutes, television, and more – people are sitting long enough that it begins to negatively impact their health.

This BPS study concluded that:

  • Nearly 70% of employees surveyed did not meet recommended guidelines for physical activity.
  • Employees who sit for longer at work are more likely to sit outside of work.
  • There is a correlation between BMI scores and sitting time at work, as one would expect.
  • That more time spent sitting at work was associated with a decrease in mental well-being.
  • Chronic sitting has been associated with serious health consequences like weight gain, back pain, diabetes and heart disease.

All hope is not lost, however, here are a few tips to help get you through a sedentary job:

Set an hourly alarm on your phone:
Set your cellphone to remind you to get up for a few minutes to rise, stretch, and move around every hour. Figure out ways to work this in to your work schedule, for photo copies, breaks, or other office tasks.

Learn how to exercise at your desk: There are many exercises that can be done in your chair. Try watching our YouTube video series “Exercise at your Desk” that features exercises for your lower back, stomach, hips, and overall core.

In Conclusion
Now that you know the risks of too much sitting, remain proactive in your workday and get up every hour to move around. If you’re able to exercise on your breaks, even better. Additionally, you may want to consider contacting an ergonomics expert to assess your work environment.

As always, be sure to share these tips with your workers or employees and for more guidance on all work related health and safety issues, visit SolutionsNW.com or Contact Us for more detailed information.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our blog for more ergonomics tips from Solutions Northwest Inc., ergonomics consultants located in Washington State, Northern California, Oregon, Seattle, Olympia, Tacoma, and Portland.

Contact our Experts

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