With your right hand please pick up your computer mouse.
As a guess, how much do you think the mouse weighs?
20 grams? 40 grams? 200 grams? 500 grams?
Now hold your arm straight out in front of you in line with your shoulder.
Make sure that your elbow is not bent.
The weight of the mouse is not important, but rather long you can hold it for.
Let me ask you...how long could YOU hold it for?
To hold it for thirty seconds - most people could do that.
To hold it for one minute - your arm may start to feel sore, but you could do that too.
To hold it for one hour - now that's getting tough. Your hand may go numb and your muscles will surely go into spasm and the mouse would feel like a one-ton weight.
How about holding it for 5 hours? 7 hours? What about 10 hours?
Impossible I hear your say? Well, not entirely...
Actually, the weight of this mouse remains the same, but when you hold it longer, you will feel that it is getting heavier because your muscles become fatigued and their holding capacity reduces. What you must do is put down the mouse, take a break, rest, and then pick it up again. By doing so, you will be able to hold on to it longer.
In the same sense, if you hang on to the pressure for long periods of time, it will feel as if the pressure is getting heavier and unbearable - and that's when you create stress in your body. Many people handle pressure by enduring as much as possible until they break, crack or collapse in a heap.
This type of exhaustion and strain is totally unnecessary.
You will start to develop aches, strains, fatigue and possibly minor illnesses (like colds and flu) if you are not giving your body a physical break from holding tension.
When you are under pressure - you MUST regularly release the tension that is subtly gathering in your muscles.
Computer operators who took frequent short stretching breaks reported that it was definitely effective in reducing stiffness and muscle ache associated with long hours at the keyboard,
and reported having lower stress levels. Taking stretching breaks were also found to have
increased their productivity and
enjoyment with working at their PC.
[1]
Action Steps
Here are TWO stretches you can do twice a day that will take about 45 seconds to complete. By releasing tension, you will be increasing your working stamina and effectiveness.
Benefits: Opens the chest; Eases breathing; Releases upper back; Releases neck stiffness
Instructions: Version I
* Place your hands onto either side of a doorframe at eye level.
* With the door open and feet shoulder width apart, stand in front of the door frame with about
30 centimetres between you and the door frame.
* Lean into a doorframe until you can feel a stretch across your chest.
* Hold the stretch for 7 seconds and breathe normally as you do it.
* Release the stretch and repeat 2 more times
Instructions: Version II
* Clasp your hands behind your back.
* Lean forward and then bring your hands towards the ceiling.
* Breathe normally.
* Hold for 7 seconds then bend your knees and stand up SLOWLY.
* Repeat 2 more times
2. Shoulder Rotations [2]
Benefits: Loosens shoulders and eases neck muscles
Instructions:
* Starting with your left arm, swing your arms in big circles 10 forwards, then 10 backwards.
* Swing your arms like children do, without trying to control them - just let them be loose.
* Then swap over and do the same to your right arm.
* Next, rotate both shoulders in circles. 10 forwards, then 10 backwards
3. Rear Vision Mirror Test
Check your body tension using the 'rear vision mirror' test. If you find yourself adjusting your rear vision mirror when you get into your car at the end of your day, then realize that you are not sitting as straight as you were when you started your day. It is likely that a combination of feeling tired and body tension is making it harder to sit up straight
