On the 4th Day of Inspiration an OT gave to me…a man who even after dying had the last laugh.
Aaron Purmont, a young father who recently died of brain cancer, used his Obituary to leave a legacy. In this, he reveals that he was Spiderman – truly showing his true character. Although Aaron lost his battle, he left behind an amazing legacy about living and loving life to the fullest.
In one of the previous blogs we spoke about how to conquer “sitting disease” since so many people are required to sit for long periods for part of their job. Today we want to talk about something related:
Sloppy shoulders – are you guilty? Take a second to freeze at your desk and notice how your body is positioned. If you are like most people, your shoulders are slumped or rounded and you are bending over your desk. Many people’s work stations consist of their computer or laptop, keyboards, phone and mobile devices, requiring them to switch back and forth between devices while still spending extended periods of time in a seated, slumped position.
Being in this position for an extended period causes strain to the upper body, particularly the shoulders and upper back. At first, you may feel achy or tired in these areas, but this goes away at night or during days off work so it doesn’t impact your work performance. However, over time you may start to notice that your aches and pains begin earlier in the day, your muscles feel tight, and this starts to hamper you even when you aren’t at work. This impacts your productivity, quality of life and can lead to more serious and long-lasting injuries.
Here are some great tips to help address these issues before they start to impact your daily function, or if they do exist, to stop them from worsening:
• Lower your keyboard so your shoulders are not elevated when typing.
• Adjust your posture so you are sitting up straight in your chair, with your shoulders pulled away from your ears and your feet are flat on the floor with your knees directly over them.
• Alter your position so that you are not reaching forward to your keyboard or mouse.
• Adjust your chair so that your arms reach your desk at a 90 degree angle.
• Take regular breaks to stretch or stand up to relieve tension in your upper body.
• Stick out your chest to bring your shoulders back and down. Do this several times per day and hold this position.
Want more strategies to address pain at work? Check out our free e-book “Cost Effective Ergonomic Solutions” to learn additional strategies for addressing shoulder and upper back pain, among others, while you are sitting at your desk.
On the 3rd Day of Inspiration an OT gave to me…Canada’s champion for mental health awareness – Clara Hughes.
In 2014 Clara Hughes, Canadian Olympian and spokesperson for Bell Let’s Talk mental health initiative took part in a 110 day bike ride across Canada. At each stop Clara took time to share her inspiring story of overcoming mental health struggles and worked to break down the stigma that continues to exist around mental illness. Clara is an inspiration to all!
On the 2nd Day of Inspiration an OT gave to me…an inspirational actor we lost but will remember forever.
This year the world lost legendary Actor and Philanthropist Robin Williams. Robin spent his life using his talent to give to others by raising money through Comic Relief for a variety of amazing causes. Watch as his Best Friend Billy Crystal pays tribute to this amazing man at the 2014 Emmys.
On the 1st Day of Inspiration an OT gave to me…a young girl who inspired the world.
Her story is one of survival and the fight for the education rights for girls across the globe. We proudly present the world’s youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize: Malala Yousafzai.
I can be long, or I can be short. I can be grown, and I can be bought. I can be painted, or left bare. I can be round, or I can be square. What could I be?
Fingernails.
It is always important to remember this time of year the importance of pausing and just enjoying the moments of the season. This blog captures that concept beautifully. It is hard to hit a moving target.
HandsFreeMama.com: No Moving Target December
Guest Blogger: Samantha Langan, Occupational Therapist MSc. (OT)
Addressing Neck Pain in the Workplace
Text Neck—are you guilty? A recent article in the-two way by Laura Sullivan discusses the posture adopted by many people when leaning over a cellphone while reading and texting. This bad posture can put up to 60 pounds of pressure on the upper spine — sometimes for several hours a day, depending on how often people look at their devices.
And it isn’t just texting. Believe it or not, holding the upper body still and sitting in an upright position, as is required when spending time sitting at a desk for long times such as working at a computer, requires a lot of effort from our muscular systems. There is an invisible but constant battle against gravity to maintain the head in an upright position, at the optimum distance from the screen, combined with maintaining one’s arms in the proper typing position increases the static load on our body, especially the neck and shoulders.
The Institute of Work and Health reported that neck pain related to work is one of the most common complaints of working aged adults and in 2006 it was reported that injuries to the upper extremity account for 30% of lost-time claims in Ontario.
There are often some commonly occurring culprits in the office that lead to poor postures and over time, fatigued bodies and resulting neck pain. Some of these culprits include:
• Non-adjustable workstations
• Workstations that are not properly designed or not well suited to the individual
• Lack of knowledge and experience on how to set up and adjustable workstation properly according to the worker’s needs (being sure to consider the worker’s body and their job tasks)
• Unsuitable job design that requires workers to sit uninterrupted for longer than an hour at a time
The good news is that many of these issues can be addressed through prevention. Some great tips for adjusting work stations to prevent neck pain include:
• Making sure that your monitor is directly in front of you and does not require you to look to the side
• If your monitor is too low, raise it with a book or another solid object
• Use split screen to read two documents at once while reducing neck rotation
For more great suggestions on how you can address neck pain in the workplace, download our E-Book: “Cost Effective Ergonomic Solutions” and check out past posts on Wellness in the Workplace.
If you’ve ever hosted Christmas dinner you know how stressful this can be between planning, shopping, prepping and cooking! Save time by planning your menu early and filling it with healthy delicious dishes that will have your guests wanting seconds. Check out the following tasty and nutrient packed recipes from Delish.com.
Delish.com: A Stress-Free Christmas: Easy Recipes for a Healthy Feast
Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
If you’re a keen and organized shopper, I’m sure you have the majority of your holiday gifts already purchased, and if you’re anything like my Mother had everything done and wrapped in August! However, if you’re anything like my husband, you are waiting until the 24th to think about Christmas.
Although Santa and his Elves are hard at work building the toys your children put on their Christmas wish list, there may be a few items you still need to purchase.
We consulted our talented team of Pediatric Occupational Therapists and are happy to provide you with some fun but functional gift inspiration. These are gifts that are educational and stimulate child development:
1. BOOKS: Although technically not toys, books make an excellent gift. Fostering a love of reading in children from an early age is essential in development of language and literacy skills, while building creativity and imagination. And so many types of books exist! Beyond regular books, pop-up books, and interactive books, there are even books where you can record your voice, or the voice of a loved one into the story so that person is “reading” to your child. This is great for those people in your life who are out of town and are not able to “read” bedtime stories in person.
2. TOYS THAT MAKE THEM THINK: Look for puzzles, games, shaper sorters, science kits and more. Problem solving through play is fantastic for the mind and will help them become independent problem solvers in life. But be prepared to explore and learn with them. Interactive parent-child time through new learning is also essential to development!
3. TOYS THAT GET THEM MOVING: We’re living in the sedentary age of technology where obesity is on the rise. Try some active toys like a skipping rope, scooter, ride on toy, a bike or winter sports gear like skates, skis or snowshoes. But with all riding toys, include the helmet too! Keeping kids active is extremely important for both their physical and mental health!
4. TOYS THAT BRING OUT THEIR CREATIVE SIDE: Fostering creativity in kids at an early age is important for their development. Looks for gifts that will encourage them to be creative like art kits, dress up clothes or crafts and supplies.
5. AN EXPERIENCE THEY WON’T FORGET: Too many toys to choose from? Why not treat the children to an experience instead. Consider tickets to a sporting event, a play, or musical or a child-appropriate concert. Special events like these create fantastic memories and can strengthen family bonds.
We hope you find some gift inspiration from our tips and with you very Happy Holidays!