Lifestyles of the prone and inefficient?
- Justin H
- Aug 29, 2016
- 2 min read
Most people equate the word ergonomics with specialty equipment designed to make your work day more comfortable. Google defines ergonomics as “the study of people’s efficiency in their working environment”. Everything from a chair and keyboard (does anyone remember that split hand keyboard Microsoft created?) to pens and desk phone accessories are available for purchase as ergonomic accessories in an erstwhile attempt to make everyone more efficient because they are more comfortable. It makes sense that comfort breeds efficiency, but at what cost?
A sedentary person is one who spends too much time sitting. Fewer muscle contractions during the day decreases metabolism, increases insulin resistance and is a leading cause for cardiometabolic disease (click here for more information) and is a factor in other chronic health conditions such as Type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease. While evidence showing a correlation between work output (quantity and quality) and a sedentary lifestyle is lacking, in my opinion it’s because it hasn’t been studied, not because there isn’t a direct relationship between the two. After all, doesn’t logic dictate that when a person is less healthy, they are less able to perform essential work functions at peak efficiency?
Now it’s not my place to tell you how to work, because only you and your employer are able to come up with what acceptable output looks like. I’m just here to encourage everyone reading this article to get out of your seat more. During a meeting, walk around the conference room instead of sitting the entire time. Take a walk or run during your lunch hour. There are even items that will allow you to stand at your desk and continue working so that you don’t lose out on precious working hours and can still maintain at least a relative level of activity (for example).
Justin Huereña Staff Blogger
P.S. Have a comment about the article? Want to see a blog about another topic? Feel like giving me an all expenses paid trip to Tahiti for my insights? Leave some feedback! Or you can email me right HERE.
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