While movement does mean any type of physical activity that is carried out by skeletal muscles, exercise is a structured, intended and repetitive movements. This makes exercise a subcategory of movement.
Being fit is great, but it’s not an indication that you are doing safe movements. Though exercise does coordinate our movements better, but the fact remains that a lot of people don’t exercise or at least don’t exercise regularly.
Add to that, millions of people have desk jobs which require a lot of sitting down and often doing wrong movements while on cell phones or laptops, like keeping our posture in an awkward position for hours on end.
One of the great things about Aaptiv is that there’s hundreds of stretching classes, some are even made specifically for while you’re sitting at your desk!
Let’s have a look at how 5 different ways your movements affect you in the workplace.
Slouching
One of the major causes of lower back pain is slouching. Sitting in a slouched position causes extra pressure and pain in the lower back, on your joints, muscles, and disks. One way to maintain proper posture when sitting is to use a small towel roll to help support the curve in the low back when sitting.
Typing
With forever banging away on our keyboards, it is not surprising that our fingers can get what is called typing pain. When typing, there needs to be a correct alignment of fingers, hands, and forearms.
This alignment means that these body parts need to move as a unit, at the same time, in the same direction. Not doing this can result in carpal tunnel syndrome, which causes numbness, tingling, and pain in the hand, while tendinitis causes irritation and inflammation around the wrist joint.
Manual handling
Manual handling involves movements such as lifting, pushing, pulling, holding, restraining, throwing and carrying. It also includes repetitive tasks such as packing, assembling, cleaning and sorting, using hand-tools, or operating machinery and equipment.
The back is particularly vulnerable to improper manual handling movements. The managers and the owner of the company can find out more about Manual handling training in order for their employees to learn to work safe while on the job.
Hunchback
A hunched back appears even in those who are fit and regularly work out. With a hunchback, the spine actually starts to curve outwards. This position of the spine will cause an imbalance. A hunched back can reduce breathing quality and lowering levels of oxygen in the blood, body and brain.
Text neck
Text neck syndrome arises when you do too much texting on your phone with the neck down. Yet it also applies when doing anything on a phone or tab while looking downwards. Text neck typically begins as a relatively mild ache in the neck or upper back. It could also present itself with sharp pain or stiffness in the neck.
Wrong movements will clearly affect work productivity. Consider how you could incorporate ergonomics and help employees to stay injury free on the job. All of us could significantly reduce our risk of injury if we make conscious decisions of our movements.
Take a moment away from your desk and do a quick stretch class with Aaptiv, it’ll benefit you in the long run!
Aaptiv as an Employee Wellness Offering
Aaptiv offers an all-in-one employee wellness solution that includes personalized workout plans, access to a network of 17,000 national and local gyms, and over 8,000 on-demand fitness and mindfulness classes. With PEAR’s Training Intelligence, Aaptiv’s adaptive coaching helps users stay motivated and engaged with their exercise routine. As users progress through their workouts, it adapts to their performance in real-time, providing feedback and adjustments to ensure they are getting the most out of their workout. This hyper-personalized approach can help employees achieve their fitness goals and improve their overall health and well-being.