Tips for Office Workers

Last weekend Kim and I taught a great workshop at Reebok. Geared towards tired office workers and computer users, the information was very much appreciated and we look forward to doing it again! We realize that more people need this information, so we've decided to post the tip sheet we handed out. Definitely email us if you have questions, or leave a comment. Also, if you love what you're reading think of how much better it would be if Kim and I came to your office and gave the workshop there! Contact us also if you'd like to book us for corporate classes and workshops.

melgutierrez13@gmail.com or kim@kimlienyoga.com

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Tips for Office workers to avoid work related body stresses

The most important thing to do is to move, staying in a static position for long periods of time does damage to the body. But how can you move at a desk job? Here are some tips:

On the way to work:

• Wear sneakers or comfortable shoes while walking to the office and change into your work shoes there. It might look funny, but your feet and back will be glad you did it!
• Do some hip, hamstring and back stretching when you wake up. It only takes 3-5 minutes!
• If you carry a purse, handbag or shoulderbag, switch which side bears the burden each day, even if it feels really weird. Carrying even a 10 lb bag on the same shoulder every day for years can lead to a functional scoliosis!

At work:

• Drink LOTS of water! Invest in a metal 1L bottle and drink 2-3 each work day. Not only will you meet your hydration needs for the day, it will keep you getting up frequently for the bathroom so you can move. By the way coffee, tea, and juice do NOT count as water, ONLY water is water...
• Do a twist in your chair - ask for a demonstration
• You can do a seated cat/cow - ask for a demonstration
• Switch up your sitting patterns. If you usually sit at your desk with crossed legs or ankle over knee, switch whichever one is on top or in front. It might feel strange, but your hips will thank you.

Take a look at your desk and make sure that when you’re seated that:

• Your hips are higher than your knees. If not, sit on a folded towel or blanket.
• Make sure that when you type your wrists are at the same level or slightly below your elbows to avoid wrist problems. You may have to put your keyboard in your lap.
• Try to keep your shoulders from riding up your neck when you are stressed. Remember that shoulders should ride passively on your ribs while you breathe. If you feel tension take a breath, hold it, and then feel the shoulders release and lower as you exhale.

Back Pain, SI Joint pain, and Hip pain can be treated using trigger point massage techniques at home:

• Use a tennis ball to roll out your hamstrings, glutes, and fleshier hip areas. Start by sitting and putting whatever weight you’re comfortable with on the tennis ball. Try not to glaze over the tender areas.
• Do some sternocleidomastoid massage. These are the 2 large bands of muscles on either side of the front of your neck. Start low at the collarbone and grasp the muscular band. Massage your way up till you reach your jaw, no higher. Again, be gentle, and try not to skip the tender areas. This work will help you loosen face and jaw muscles, will help improve breathing, avoid tension headaches, and TMJ.
• Try to be barefoot as much as possible! When walking at home, be barefoot. If you have a lawn walk barefoot in the grass or go to a park. The point is to use all the muscles and joints in your feet that have been cramped by shoes. If you can at work, be barefoot under your desk and roll your feel on massage ball with a racket ball, massage ball or golf ball.

Mind Over Matter? –How a Positive Attitude Can Protect You from Depression and Illness

Having a positive attitude, or being as optimistic as possible, is something that many self-help gurus like Tony Robbins and Stephen R. Covey (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) have been talking about for decades. People have varying opinions on the efficacy of a “positive attitude”. Some people even go so far as to say that it’s all a bunch of new-agey hocus-pocus! But it would seem that Covey and Robbins, among many others are right. And you don’t have to look in a mirror every morning and repeat “I am GREAT!”—well, unless you want too!

It’s now official—it has been scientifically proven that having a positive attitude can affect your wellbeing in amazing ways! In a recent article featured in US News Magazine, researchers in Australia have discovered that teenagers who maintain an optimistic attitude have a significantly lower risk for depression. The journalist reporting on the findings explained that:

“What makes optimism work? An optimist believes the good things that happen in life will keep happening, and that they happen because she or he made them happen. Optimists also figure that bad things happen occasionally, and by chance, not because of one's own mistakes; and they believe those bad things are unlikely to happen again.”

So you may be thinking that some people are just born on the bright side—that they naturally are happier people who just seem to be genetically wired to see things in a more optimistic light. But that is only half true—yes, some people are born with certain “happier” dispositions. But also it has scientifically been found that cultivating an optimistic attitude towards life can be a skill that can be learned by just about anybody. Psychologist Martin Seligman from the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, among others, has done numerous studies on the the subject and has found that learning to be optimistic is very possible, even for the most pessimistic person.

Having an Optimistic Attitude not only significantly decreases your chances of getting depressed, but it also has so many other benefits—people who are Optimistic have better marriages and romantic relationships, have more meaningful friendships, are more successful in their careers and also live longer and suffer from less health problems! It has been proven by numerous scientific studies.

This is because having a negative attitude creates more stress than having a positive attitude. A prolonged period of stress causes all kinds of problems, according to the Mayo Clinic, including “health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes. So having an optimistic attitude can do so much for you!

So how can you “learn” how to be more optimistic? Well Yoga and Meditation are great practices to start! The benefits of Yoga and Meditation are also scientifically proven, and they can reduce your stress levels and increase feelings of wellbeing that can help you achieve a more optimistic attitude! Also, when a bad situation happens, make sure you question your assumptions about it being “negative” or “bad”. Try to see the situation in a different light. Remember the old saying that if you have been given lemons, make lemonade! Pretty much any situation can be turned around and made positive. You just have to first start by thinking to yourself, “This can be turned around. This can be made okay.” Every problem has a solution, but you have to be in the right frame of mind to figure it out. If you are in a negative mindset, then it will be so much harder to see the solutions to whatever problems life throws at you! So cultivating a positive attitude can do so much to help you not just in terms of your health but also in all areas of your life! So try and see things from a more optimistic perspective! The results will amaze you!

Reebok Workshop: Yoga for Office Workers and Computer Users

Tired of feeling tired? Chronic fatigue is a common complaint of many computer users. Office workers are subjected to 8 or more hours of consistent computer use each day of the week. The demand of keeping the body held in this unnatural and static position can lead to a myriad of complaints, such as:

Back Pain

Shoulder and Neck Pain

Headaches and Migraines

Eye Strain

Painful Hands and Wrists

Teeth Clenching/Grinding

Sciatica

Don't miss out on the opportunity to fix this! On Sunday, May 22nd Kim-Lien Kendall will teach a workshop assisted by Melissa Gutierrez. From 3:30 - 5:00 pm you will learn how to alleviate your symptoms and reverse the negative affects of sitting and typing all day. Amongst the techniques used will be somatic movement, yoga, breath therapy, and trigger point therapy.

You will leave feeling better and will have learned how to prevent your pain with tips you can use while at work. Location: Reebok Sports Club, 67th and Columbus. Cost for Members: $20, Non-Members: $35 Registration is necessary, please do so by Friday, May 20th.

Contact Anne-Sophie Rodriguez, Group Exercise Coordinator, at asrodriguez@reeboksportsclubny.com or call 212.501.1419.