4 Silent Killers To Watch Out For While Working At A Desk Job

It's 2017 and we live in a virtual world. It's funny how each break through in science is making us less and less mobile every day. The more science advances, the more we regress from what we were meant to do in the first place. Desk jobs are nothing new but working long hours is higher than ever. Stress levels are higher than ever and movement is lower than ever. You might just be suffering from these 4 conditions thanks to your 9-5 high-paying-fancy job. 1) Carpel Tunnel Syndrome More and more people even in their 20s are suffering from this syndrome. The symptoms are pain, numbness, tingling and weakness in the hands because of undue pressure on the median nerve. It typically takes around few years of repetitive work before someone develops Carpel tunnel Syndrome. Truck drivers, car drivers or someone who works extensively on a PC are at high risk. Cure a) Take regular breaks from repetitive work which involves the use of hands and wrists and stretch your palm and fingers multiple times a day. b) Choose a computer mouse which is smooth in operation and doesn't strain your wrist. Set your computer keyboard to elbow height or slightly lower and keep your elbows slightly higher than the wrist. 2) Weak Muscles The human body is built to move. You will agree when I tell you there are 360 joints and around 700 skeletal muscles. Unfortunately, desk job employees are glued to their chairs for hours on end and this causes the tightening of the hip and hamstring muscles along with a weak lower back and abdominal muscles. The mobility of your hips and strength of your glutes are also affected by sitting for prolonged periods of time (if you don't spend enough time per week on Exercise and Stretching). Cure a) Change your position every few minutes and move around a bit every hour. You can also set up a reminder to ‘move' or ‘Stand Up' every 60 minutes.Take the stairs instead of the elevator. b) Having a thick wallet in your back pocket also contributes to bad posture. 3) Obesity From High Carbohydrates Meals Served At Work Most working places serve food high in carbohydrates and has little to no protein. Unless your job requires you to stand up and move the whole time, you don`t need such high carbohydrate meals. This will only cause you to gain weight leading to obesity. On top of this, there's excessive tea/coffee consumption. The problem lies in the excessive caffeine consumed and the high sugar content in such beverages. Cure a) Bring a meal from home which is high in protein as protein helps you stay full for longer. Also, make sure you have enough fat and vegetables in all your meals. Packing food can be difficult for some but it`s for your own good. So, stop making excuses! b) Limit coffee/Tea intake at the office and avoid adding sugar to it. Get And yes, artificial sweeteners are fine.They won`t give you cancer like some stupid articles suggest. 4) Internally Rotated Shoulders, Pigeon Chest And Crooked Back Thinkstock Prolonged sitting here again is the culprit. The shoulders internally rotate getting the scapulas in the back to retract inwards, resulting in first internally rotated shoulders and then, a crooked back and then a pigeon chest. A curved back and slumped shoulders put pressure on the spine. Protruding your head out while working on PC can lead to a strain in the cervical vertebrae which is the main cause of neck pain. The legs are supported by the hips, knees and ankle at 90 degrees. Cure a) Don`t lean ahead while working on a PC. Sit in a relaxed manner with your shoulders over the hips. Your eyes should align somewhere in the centre of the screen so that you don't strain neck or eyes trying to look up or down. b) Sitting in the chair should be adjusted as per your height so that your feet are flat on floor and knees are equal or slightly lower than the hips.