Ergonomics

ERGONOMICS

Ten years ago, I heard this word for the first time at university and it became my favourite topic when I wanted to appear intelligent in public as nobody had heard of it.

Corporate companies have all started paying attention to the wellness of workers and now there are ergonomic consultants who focus on posture, office furniture and design. Spending one third of our day in a single space (and often a static position) calls for comfort and care of our bodies.

Ergonomics is the study of people at work.

I’ve recently started working in a communal office. It is the most academic environment with IT specialists who are either on the phone or working on their computers – or doing both (proof that some men can multitask). I’ve always had an active job and cannot sit still for longer than five minutes at a stretch (that is without getting up to stretch or make coffee or go to the loo or find any excuse possible to get away from the desk). After my first month on the job, I developed a backache that caused extreme discomfort leading to restless sleep, slouching and complaining more than usual. My core is strong so the backache manifests between my shoulder blades. The upper cross syndrome has a unique name on my body as the stress balls that hide under my shoulder blades are called “subscap”. They hide and grow and crack while I am in agony. I put my body through exercise, exercise demonstrations and carrying weights daily, but as soon as I sit down my body falls apart.

In my mind, ergonomics extends beyond a comfortable chair, oddly-shaped keyboard and a glare-free monitor. The other senses have an impact on office wellness along with the working environment.

I arrive at lunchtime to be greeted by the smell of every type of fast food imaginable. Even though I’ve just eaten, the smell stimulates my stomach juices and my mouth starts watering, making it difficult to concentrate on anything but the pizza being devoured across the room. Collegues arrive from the post lunch cigarette breaks have the smoke smell attached to their clothes and hair. The stale smells linger in the office mingling with the leftovers causing a nauseating stench that distracts me.

The noise from telephones are distracting for a person like me who has a short concentration span. Trying to listen to the conversations of others, while concentrating on your own work, is extremely difficult. The muffled music being played by earphones distorts and annoys fellow workers who crave silence.

Being an active person, I could get frustrated sitting at my desk and have developed a few distractions to keep the eyes open and the mind stimulated:

• Walk to the shop the long way – take the stairs, do not take short cuts.
• Do not eat at your desk – go to a different location to focus on eating instead of shovelling while looking at the screen. Split your lunch break in two if possible and save some food, thus keeping the metabolic rate higher.
• Pack healthy lunch to save time and avoid empty calories from pies, chocolates and fried foods.
• Suggest team builders such as action cricket or boot camp instead of restaurants, pubs and other sedentary activities.
• Walk to the co-worker instead of mailing, Skyping or calling.
• Go for walks with collegues to experience a change of scenery.
• Turn your entire chair and body when somebody speaks to you and look them in the eye instead of trying to focus on your work as well. That way when you really do not want to talk to somebody, it is evident in your body language.
• Find a focus that will lead to you thinking happy thoughts when work gets too hectic such as a view from a certain place in the office, a photo of your family or a sexy co-worker that provides suitable “eyecandy” without leading to a sexual harassment case.
• Activate your core muscles by pulling your shoulder blades together, pulling bellybutton to spine and sitting taller.

Ergonomically correct posture will not only lead to physical improvements such as better posture but psychological ramifications of a better mood and an improvement on productivity. These changes may not want to make you look forward to going to work if you hate your job, but it will make it easier to cope with stressors.

OFFICE MAIL

Everyone gets enough exercise jumping to conclusions, flying off the handle, running down the boss, knifing friends in the back, dodging responsibility and pushing their luck.

Exercise, eating and other addictions

Too often humans just sit back and wait for somebody else to take action, while we continue with our daily routine and complain about the problem without doing anything about it. This human habit rang true after the talk about steroids that was presented by a reformed addict.

Fitness professionals work in an industry filled with addictions from eating disorders (anorexia to binge eating) to compulsive shoppers (those girls who never wear the same gym gear twice) to supplementary drugs (fat burners to steroids). The biggest addiction is vanity as these people are punishing their bodies to look good and receive praise. They live for the compliments and enjoy the attention they receive when people admire their bodies. We are all envious of the girl with the six pack or the guy with the striations on their muscles that look like road maps, but every body comes at a price. While some of us are addicted to long term exercise and wellness, others are addicted to the quick fix of a fat burner or a finger down the throat.

As personal trainers, we are not equipped to deal with psychological issues, but we can have a strong moral standing about the abuse of drugs and the abuse of food. While we can offer advice about eating plans, supplements, vitamins and minerals we cannot take on the role of dietician, psychologist, councillor or mother. We should have a list of health professionals that we can refer clients to and we should trust these people and not be getting a financial kick back.

We can make a difference by refusing to deal with people who use steroids and stop referring our clients to dieticians who prescribe a pill before wholesome food. I cannot approach the muscle man in the weights area and tell him to stop injecting himself because I will get “dondered  or moered” (the Afrikaans word is so much more descriptive), but I can stop complimenting him on his physique as I will feel better than I am not stroking his ego. Another thing I can do is to educate myself on the effects of certain steroids and supplements and be able to explain the long term dangers to my clients when they enquire about supplementing their diet. These people who are taking the quick fix make the personal trainer’s hard work on clients seem like a long way to a better body.

The illegal personal training in our gyms can stop if we inform our clients about the need to check our qualifications and the rent we pay to be able to use the facility. We can also stop being two faced by not acknowledging this person who is making a mockery of our livelihood. The Tableview gym where I see my clients has a member-trainer-evangelist-hypocrite who irritates all the staff, yet people still speak to this man who has a different training partner every week and he is a different size every month.

Our profession will never be taken seriously if we do not show the world that we are professionals and that we do not believe in cheats, pills, short cuts or illegal substances. We should always endorse a lifetime of healthy eating, consistent exercise and balanced lifestyles and set the example in our own lives. Personal training starts with our bodies and minds and should show the world that we exercise healthy decisions and that we do not believe in cheating.