subject: Is Your Health Being Affected By Modern Technology? [print this page] Reading through the topical news today I came across this article about how modern day living and working on Smartphones, tablets and laptops could be affecting your health by making you a slave to your screen long after working hours have ended.
mobile devicesModern Technology has made it far too easy to access our work emails, our contacts via Social Media and it means that we just dont switch off. Traditional means of communicating like letters and even picking up the phone and having conversations are sadly becoming less and less in modern society due to the rise of the smart phone, the internet and mobile devices meaning that we interact more by texting, by social media and email. So how is it that these can affect our health? Below we focus on just two prime examples:
1. Posture - Poor posture in these environments can lead to back and neck pain and postural abnormalities over a period of time.
What can you do?
There are many ways to correct poor posture caused by sitting down at a desk all day long - or even sitting in a car, this doesnt just apply to office workers. However, many white collar workers develop aKyphosis slumped posture, known as kyphosis, which if never corrected can become quite severe and cause further complications.
Muscles become shortened and tight while others are lengthened. Your chest cavity space decreases, your rib cage starts to press down on the major organs giving them less space to function, which can affect breathing. So you see it may not seem like a big deal but long term it can be.
One of the most obvious ways to correct these kind of problems is to move about - EXERCISE! Take time out during the day to get up, walk around, take a break, stretch your muscles. And when you get time out, head to the Home Gym for a workout. Correcting a bad posture takes time, like breaking any habit, especially if it has taken years to set in, but here are a couple of examples that can help you on your way.
The way to counteract a slouched posture is to do an opposing move. So to stretch out tight chest muscles, you need to be performing an exercise like a pectoral flye, an exercise focuses on opening the chest out. A Pec Deck is a piece of gym equipment common in most gyms that you can use for this.
The Standing Wall Angel is another great example for this, and no Gym Equipment necessary. Exercising standing with your back against a wall will not only help to improve your posture but will provide you with feedback as to how straight your back really is.
Forward Lunge For the lower body, forward lunging is a great exercise to get the hip flexor muscles moving having been shortened by being locked in a seated position all day long. And the same for your butt, if you have been sat on it all day then it needs to be moved and woken up! You can lunge using just your body weight or if you want to make it a bit more taxing then try holding some dumbbells by your sides or a barbell across your shoulders. Bars and dumbbells are great pieces of portable Fitness Equipment that you can have in your home gym.
Practice walking with a book balanced on your head, silly as it sounds it will encourage you to stand tall, feels weird huh? This is how you should be more or less all the time! But it feels wrong because your muscles have adapted to the position in which you spend most of your day. The good news is that muscles have memory and can be trained to change!
2. Stress - Taking your work home with you means that you never really switch off and have any you time. This in turn can put strain on relationships and family life. The constant needs and expectations of many businesses today means that there is a pressure to put in extra hours due to too much workload.
What can you do?
Stress can lead to illnesses such as depression and worse. The first thing to do is talk. Talk to your boss if your workload is becoming too much, dont carry the burden.
Take time out to have some you time. Exercise is a great stress buster as many people will tell you, releasing feel good endorphins. If you enjoy running, go for a jog, join a club even to make you accountable to go every week and meet like minded people. If you enjoy cycling, get yourself on a bike or an exercise bike. Find a hobby or pastime that you enjoy and make time for it! Perhaps most importantly spend quality time with loved ones and family you only live once and these are the most precious times you cannot get back.
Finally, before you go to bed each night, and particularly if you have trouble sleeping, take an hour or so to completely unwind, Take yourself away from any form of electronic devices or stimulants, switch them off, rest your eyes. Your mind will always be active as long as you are online, watching TV or concentrating on something, so completely switch off and prepare your body for rest.
by:Ms.Michelle Caines
Zaproxy alias impedit expedita quisquam pariatur exercitationem. Nemo rerum eveniet dolores rem quia dignissimos.
Zaproxy alias impedit expedita quisquam pariatur exercitationem. Nemo rerum eveniet dolores rem quia dignissimos.
