User manual

Clues for healthy computer use
AppleSauce
November 2003
14
Contents
Previous
you must listen to your body and do a few little exer-
cises.
Even those totally obsessed professional computer
games players in South Korea get up and go for a jog
every now and then in amongst their 24–48 hour shifts
at the computer. If they can, you can! Evidently the jog-
ging keeps them fired up for the next eight hours.
A very important posture type of thing to remember is to
keep the elbows in. It takes the strain off your shoulders.
Hey, that’s a motor sport thing too. The legendary Frank
Gardner, in his white towelling hat, preached the same,
but it was more about keeping yourself balanced whilst
driving at a considerable rate of knots. It also applies to
daily driving too. Sitting in a balanced position probably
applies to working at a computer too.
The exercises
Okay, here are some suggested exercises that work on
preventing head aches, neck aches, sore shoulders and
backs.
Our specific exercises are Chin Tucks, Side Bends,
Shoulder Shrugs, Shoulder Blade Squeezes and finally
Shoulder Rolls. Remember it’s gentle exercise five to ten
times every hour. For thirty seconds... I think.
Chin Tucks are a matter of keeping your chin up and
pushing forward and backward with your head and all
the times keeping your head/chin on the same plane.
Side Bends are the opposite way. Keep your chin in how-
ever and tilt your head gently to the left bringing it back
to the upright position five or six times then repeat on
the right. Do it slowly. No, it doesn’t matter which side
first!
Shoulder Shrugs are exactly that. Keep your head
straight and lift your shoulders high. This helps relax
that tight feeling which causes your shoulders to defy
gravity, lift and tighten rather than lower and relax.
Don’t we tell tense people to relax those shoulders?
Shoulder Blade Squeezes. Place your hands behind your
head, clasp them and push your elbows back gently.
Shoulder Rolls are always done backwards and help
avoid that hunched forward shoulder effect through sit-
ting at the computer all day. This loosens the muscles
across the front of the chest.
Ohh and don’t forget that a glass of water is healthy too,
unless you spill it into your computer! And you can take
the pen out now.