Things To Consider When Looking For An Ergonomic Chair

Most people who have an office job have a common complain—back pain, being uncomfortable all day, and being more and more tired by the day. Those complain boils down to the fact that they spend a great deal of time in an office chair.

They’re sitting all day, shouldn’t they be comfortable?

That’s the common misconception but is hardly the case. Most often than not, the chair they’re using do not have proper support for the lower back nor promote good posture. Sitting all day is already detrimental to one’s health and using a poorly designed chair for prolonged sitting is adding more stress to the structures in the spine.

However, in a market full of great ergonomic chair, buying one can be challenging. But to make your search easier, you just have to focus what you need out of an office chair. Don’t get blinded by added features that you probably wouldn’t even make use of. Here are some things that you should keep in mind when shopping for the perfect office chair for you.

Recline-Ability

Sitting in front of a computer all day is very stressful for your back. This is why you find yourself leaning back on your chair in the middle of the day while still trying to work. Because of this, it’s important that your office chair should be able to recline while still allowing you to reach your keyboard without straining your eye, shoulders, or arms.

Your Joints Should Be Comfortable At 90 Degree Angles

Your hips, knees, ankles, and elbows should be at 90 degrees while sitting on your office chair. This could mean the chair is either too tall or too short for you. This can result to your blood circulation being limited and there will be too much pressure on the sensitive area behind the knee if the position is too high. While if it’s too low, your body weight will shift back and put pressure on the sitting bones.

Lumbar Support

The lumbar spine has an inward curve or what people typically address to as the small of the back. Now, it’s important that you find an ergonomic chair that have lumbar adjustment both height and depth that you can easily adjust to fit you. Otherwise you would end up slouching after sitting for long periods of time without lumbar support and strain your lower back.

Don’t Ignore The Upholstery

When it comes to this, don’t be easily bought by how cool the material looks. Instead, try sitting on it before you buy it, make sure you feel comfortable while seated. Go for breathable, medium texture upholstery because this is the kind if material that even after hours and hours of sitting will still make you feel comfortable. If it feels scratchy, pokey, or hot it will surely bother you all day, so it’s best to walk away from that chair.

Mobility

Can you easily move the chair in case you have to transfer it from one room to another? Can you easily slide and rotate the chair to reach different areas of your desk without straining? You should be able to move freely in your workspace to boost productivity, so ask yourself these questions before purchasing a particular chair.

Adjusting Your Office Chair Should Not Require Tools

You will find yourself needing to adjust the chair to your comfort throughout the day. So be sure you buy one that won’t require any tool to do that because that would be too much of a hassle when you’re supposed to be investing in this chair for convenience. Ask for a demonstration or try adjusting the chair for yourself before buying to be certain you know how to operate everything.

It Should Encourage You To Move

Yes, you’re buying an ergonomic chair to be comfortable and not strain your body even after hours of sitting. However, you won’t be sitting in one position all day right? You’ll be shifting from one position to another throughout the day so you should consider picking a chair that supports your body even when you move. So when you’re testing a chair, really test it out. Try different positions that you usually do when you sit in front of a computer all day, move around, if it’s still comfortable then you found your chair.

Top 7 Companies That Excel At Corporate Wellness

In a perfect world, we all would love where we work and never complain about being too burned out. But we all know that this hardly the case for most people. Majority of employees these days are too stressed out at work where they either drag themselves everyday despite having a constant cough and cold or get scolded for missed days at work due to sickness.

If you’ve ever wondered if there’s any hope out there, lighten up because more and more companies are taking their employees’ health into consideration!

Here are a few companies that are taking the corporate wellness a notch higher.

1.      Fitbit

The best thing about Fitbit’s approach when it comes to their employee’s wellness is that they make it a part of the office culture in general. They strongly motivate people to hit target steps, calories burned, active minutes, distance, and hours of sleep, etc. with the help of Fitbit dashboard with aggregated data to track those.

2.      Houston Methodist

When it comes to keeping patients and employees healthy, this leading Texas medical center isn’t far behind Fitbit. They developed creative competitions and events revolving around steps which allow employees who have hit a certain goal enjoy irresistible prizes. No doubt this tactic is working since even their CEOs are out there and visibly walking with their staff!

3.      Google

This company is extremely invested in finding unique ways to improve the health of its employees. In fact, they house plenty of amenities like ping-pong tables, nap pods and LEGO stations. They can even shower, get their laundry done, get massages, swim, and learn various subjects like kickboxing, parenting, and mindfulness through Googlers-to-Googlers education program.

4.      Motley Fool

Aside from free spinning classes and boot camps to in-house subsidized massages, they also create different challenge or theme to excite staffs into being more active. Sounds basic? Well Motley Fool employees even get free personal training sessions and wellness consultations that

5.      Earth Friendly Products

If this company’s name alone doesn’t make you wanna work for them, the fact that their facilities has an organic garden from which employees can snag fruits and vegetables will! They also have wellness program where staff members can swap clothes and household items, the company helps pay for eco-friendly car, and gives $1,000 for those who decides to move closer to the office to reduce carbon footprint.

6.      Zappos

Aside from basic fitness perks like free gym membership, Zappos have a wellness program called Wellness Adventures which gets people to voluntarily be more physically active while having fun. Who wouldn’t want to work for a company that actually encourages employees to play an hour-long golf lesson, laser tag or trampolining?

7.      Draper, Inc.

Nothing says healthiest workplace more than participating in a 10-week weight loss challenge, holding an annual health fair, hosting Weight Watchers classes, walking competitions, and Zumba sessions. No wonder they were voted as the healthiest workplace in the United States in 2014 by Healthiest Employers LLC!

Top 5 Best Practices That Define A Successful Wellness Program

Since majority of the reason for an employee’s absences is due to health issues, companies nowadays try to incorporate wellness programs into their office environment. However, only a few of them actually have comprehensive programs that produces better health outcomes among employees as well as improved performance at work which naturally happens when employees are healthier.

Whether you’re on a job hunt and is seriously considering this aspect in a company you’d like to work for or have been in a company in a while but wonders if your workplace is doing a good job at this, here are some cues that will help you determine that.  

1.      Programs Are Practical And Accessible

Does it seem like the company gym is only available during the most hectic hour at work? Or the company only has the gym as their wellness program and nothing else? This means the company is hardly putting effort into wellness program. Because a comprehensive wellness initiative offers variety of scheduled programs where employees can choose from and easily fit into their schedule.

2.      The Work Environment Is Health-Conscious

It’s no use having a company that has wellness programs if the environment within the office doesn’t contribute to healthy practices. The cafeteria should offer healthier food options that can be easily seen, even vending machines should be filled with appealing but healthier foods and drinks, no-smoking policy should be strictly implemented and cleanliness, regular and appropriate breaks, regulated noise, spaces for walking or other physical activity should be encouraged.

3.      Wellness Is Integrated Into The Company's Structure

Leading a healthier lifestyle and doing well at work shouldn’t feel like a tug-of-war. Therefore it’s important that a company establish wellness programs that are embedded in everything the organization does. Otherwise it would come off as hypocrisy if the company wants employees to be healthy but makes their people work longer hours or doesn’t even offer reasonable health benefits.

4.      Wellness Is Linked To Existing Support Programs

You know the company is genuinely concerned about their employees’ wellness when employee assistance programs and other support systems are in place. How can an employee enjoy a company’s wellness program if it contradicts the company’s existing support programs in any way? Like having smoking cessation program but doesn’t give any discount on health insurance premiums to those who successfully complete the program.

5.      Health Screenings And Education Are Offered

Wellness Programs isn’t all about offering free gym membership or just having smoking cessation programs. A lot of people know they should quit smoking but doesn’t because they don’t realize how much damage it can do to their body.  Offering voluntary screenings while giving incentives to those who participates encourages employees to be educated about their own health is important too. This also helps companies develop programs around issues that most affect their employees.

Top 7 Companies That Excel At Corporate Wellness from Dr Gary Tho

Ways That Chiropractic Care Helps You Manage Stress

Stress is a normal part of life, a little of it is helpful but too much of it can take a toll on your health. When you’ve tried taking a day off or even making more healthy choices like lessening alcohol consumption or switching fast food to home cooked meals but you still feel off, maybe it’s time for a more in-depth action. Chiropractic care is a great option for that, in fact it may be just the right relief for whether you’re dealing with mental stress or physical one. Dig in and find out how chiropractic care can help with stress management and improve your life in the process without being filled with medications or dealing with nasty risks and side effects and that pills usually have. It Eases Mental Stress When you’re trying to run your career, family life, personal life, you’re bound to come across problems which will take a toll on your mental health. This is especially true for those things you constantly worry about. When that happens you’ll start noticing you always have headaches, you’re not as together as you usually are, and it becomes difficult for you to concentrate to whatever task you have at hand because you’re simultaneously thinking about other things. One of the best ways to release stress is book an appointment with a chiropractor. Getting your spine adjusted corrects misalignments that may have been sitting in your spine and causing pain and discomfort. Aside from that it also eases muscle tension along with it. Both of these helps balance your nervous system to help you relax and sleep better. Relieves Physical Stress Whether you have a white or blue collar job, your body takes beating from the stress of manual labor and even the prolonged sitting at the office. For those with office jobs it’s important to maintain proper posture and ensure an ergonomic workplace to prevent your body from suffering from the sedentary position. While those with physically demanding jobs have to mind proper lifting as well as be resourceful enough to find ways and use available tools to make the job easier. But aside from those, it’s also vital to pay attention to your nutrition, exercise (yes, even for those with manual jobs) and adequate rest. Because these three help your bodies take on your daily activities and recover from them. A chiropractor can give recommendations regarding those three points that suits your body condition. Keeps The Spine Balance Despite Constant Sitting More and more people are being confined to their chair because of the nature of their career and sedentary lifestyle. This kind of living leads to a lot of health issues like obesity, cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, spinal diseases, anxiety, and more. Chiropractic adjustments not only correct spinal misalignments from all the sitting, but it also takes the pressure off your nerves, and eases the strain on your muscles. This way you’re not just freed from the pain but it also restores your body’s innate ability to heal itself. It’s A Safe Option For Pain Relief Although pain medications are always available and easy to get access to, they also pose a lot of health risk and side-effects after a long time of relying on them. Chiropractic care, however, is not only a drug-free treatment, but as well as non-invasive procedure that helps patient get relief from pain. This pain relief option also go beyond pain relief, it addresses the root cause of the pain so you’re not always dealing with the same issues.  

Things That You Should Expect In Your First Chiropractic Care Appointment

• Sessions usually take around 20 minutes, more or less depending on your condition and your discussion with the chiropractor about the suitable treatment for you.
• The doctor may ask you a couple of question regarding your medical history and symptoms that you’re experiencing.
• He may ask you to move your body to determine where the spine is out of alignment.
• You may be asked to go through different test, like x-ray, for more `accurate diagnosis.
• After evaluating the situation, the chiropractor will place you on a table either face up or face down. He will gently push on your body to realign your spine.
• You shouldn’t feel any pain during adjustments, in case you do, tell your doctor right away.
• You’ll hear audible popping sounds, but that’s not because of cracked bones. It’s just gas being released from between misaligned spinal vertebrae.

How You Will Feel
Generally, people who received chiropractic adjustment doesn’t feel pain during the session, instead they feel instant relief. And that’s because the spine is being snapped back into alignment and pressure on nerves that is causing the pain are being taken off. But for first time patients, you may experience stiffness or soreness the next day, but those are normal because it’s the area where muscles have been pulling for a long time, so moving them any differently will cause some discomfort. Some people experience cold-like symptoms, which is also typical since their body are now aligned for the first time in a long time, and their bodies have gotten used to the incorrect postures so their body is basically adjusting to the changes.        

After these initial adjustments, you’ll start feeling better, you’ll notice that you feel less stressed out and the quality of your life will improve.