If you're anything like me: sitting at your laptop and working away on features, transcriptions, research, paperwork and tons of emails is a key part of what you do. Yes, you can work in the garden or work remotely in a more picturesque backdrop, but there's no getting away from that face-to-face technology time that is critical to the way you work. But, did you know, those long hours in front of your computer can soon stack up putting your health at serious risk?
Keep an eye on those weekly hours totting up as working from morning through to night has been linked with dementia. If, at the moment, you're averaging around 55 hours per week, make some changes and reduce those hours down to 41 hours or less. Your poor overworked brain will be glad of this new respite.
Research from the British Chiropractic Association revealed that a third of us sit for more than ten hours per day, and worse still, half admitted to not even leaving their desk to have lunch. Similarly, previous research by the British Heart Foundation found that HALF of us spend most of our days immobile. Making just a few subtle changes can make such a difference. Getting a little lunchtime fresh air will not only perk you up but also increase concentration when you do return to your desk. With warmer weather all around us (well most days!) there is no excuse to hide inside.
A sobering thought to keep in the back of your mind at all times is: those who work 11 hours per day raise their risk of heart disease by up to 67 percent according to new research funded by the Medical Research Council.
Make to-do lists more manageable and try not to set crazy targets to meet each day. Learn to go a little easier on yourself and your mind, heart and body will really thank you for it.
