Do you also sometimes suffer from headaches or tired, aching muscles after a long day working from home? You are not the only one. According to a survey by the Dutch trade union CNV, it appears that 41% of home workers suffer more often from physical complaints since they work from home because of corona. Almost 1 in 10 homeworkers need to visit a physiotherapist more often.
This is because home workers spend more hours behind the computer, sit longer and generally take fewer breaks.
How can you prevent physical complaints yourself and stay fit during your working day?
Taking breaks
Scheduling short breaks during your working day is vital for your health. This is because micro-breaks prevent small muscles and tendons from being overloaded and ensure that your blood circulation is maintained. Take a half-minute break after every 10 minutes of work, taking your hands off the keyboard and mouse and sitting down to relax. It is also advised to interrupt work with a short break of about 5 minutes after every hour.
The power of variety
Especially the large muscles, such as leg muscles, are inactive during long sitting which slows down your blood flow. This can lead to fluid accumulation, varicose veins, reduced metabolism and eventually cardiovascular disease, among other things. It is therefore important to alternate sitting regularly with other working postures. Consider meetings online while standing or talking on the phone while walking. Ever thought about on foot meetings? This actually makes conferences more productive and creative!
Doing exercises
Screen work places static strain on large muscles, such as the back and neck and shoulder muscles. In addition, the hands make repetitive movements during typing and mousing, straining the same small muscles and tendons each time. It is a good idea to relax and stretch these muscles and tendons regularly in between typing. There are various stretching exercises you can easily perform during your working day.
Staying fit with the Fit Coach
We have developed a special Fit Coach module to help you stay fit during your working day. The Fit Coach offers you different exercises via a pop-up on your screen. You can personalise the Fit Coach by selecting the type of exercises. For example, you can choose from the following exercises:
- balance
- neck and shoulders
- legs
- posture/relaxation
During the exercises, you will be coached with the help of a video, photos and a simple description. The Fit coach was developed in cooperation with physiotherapists and contains more than 80 exercises. You can decide for yourself during which breaks you want to do the exercises and how many exercises you want to be offered per break. The break times depend on actual screen use and are set as standard in accordance with Dutch working conditions guidelines and on the advice of ergonomists: a 5-minute break after every hour. The break frequency can be adjusted as required. For example, you can take more breaks in case of pain or on the advice of your therapist.
The Fit Coach is a module of the R-Go Break software. This patented break software provides break reminders using pop-ups on the screen. Do you use Break products from R-Go Tools? Then the LED light on your Break mouse/keyboard changes colour during use. Green light means you are working healthily. Orange means it’s time for a short break. Red light means you’ve been working too long. This gives you subtle and positive feedback on your break behaviour.
Want to know more? Visit our Break page.