Thursday, July 3, 2008

Best Job for the Body.

Something has recently occurred to me, but I'm not sure I should read too much into it because it could likely drive me nuts.

In recent months, I have developed 2 of what a doctor called a "bony prominence." One is on my left elbow and the other is on the heel of my right hand. Where did they come from? Well, probably from me being bored as nuts at work. I tend to lean on my left elbow when I'm at work - partly because my chair is too low and the back is too far back for me to be comfortable. Because of all this, in order to sit up straight (and not strain my back), I have to lean against the desk. As for the one on the heel of my right hand, it is CERTAINLY from using the computer mouse. I rest my hand against the desk and move the mouse with my fingers mostly.

Since I've worked a desk job, I have developed all kinds of aches and pains that I never had before. Granted, much of this may be aging, but I ain't that old yet! I've also gained a lot of weight (again, partially this is aging and quitting smoking). When I started this job, I wore a size 4-6. Now I wear a size 8-10.

The point is that human beings are not meant to be sitting down all the time. Our bodies form reactions against it (i.e. bony prominences). But we're not really supposed to be standing all the time either. Evidence of that is in the 12 or so years I spent in retail jobs and the sorry state of my knees and hips.

Given all this information, I've decided that people really ought to be up and about and doing a variety of things: walking to get places; sitting to eat, rest, and do a few tasks; standing to do a number of tasks. So really the best job for the human body would be something like a park ranger (for a small park where they can walk everywhere) or a curator for a historical site, etc.

So where does that leave those of us with no expertise in these areas? The best way is to start from oneself so in my situation, I'd probably be better off working from home on several projects and pursuits - transcribing, pottery making, writing, living in a place where I can walk most everywhere I need, etc. Of course, this is basically the modern American dream for creative types like myself and my dearest. So it would be nice to be able to settle for an office where you are allowed, given the time & an area, and forced to move around and do various tasks throughout the day. I'm sure some places already do this given the latest health movement that has taken off in recent years, and that's great.

It just seems to me that there could be a better way to work and live. It would be really great if we didn't have to choose "work to live" or "live to work" and we could all just live while we work.

1 comment:

  1. Our Seattle office is HUGE into ergonomics and what-not. Many of the desks and chairs are really nice. I believe every office has a fully adjustable desk which you can even raise/lower. That's cool. A couple of the guys in the office raise theirs up a couple feet and spend a few hours a day standing while working at their desk. That's not for me, but it'd be nice to have that option.

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