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I always chuckle internally when I see ergonomic posters detailing proper posture.
But I temper those thoughts because I also realize that those posters are placed there with the best of intentions. Employers don’t want their employees to get hurt, for pete’s sakes! (I’ve always wondered, who is Pete anyway?)
The thing is, we can’t do anything with it.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Everyone needs to know how best to arrange their workstation in terms of chair and desk set up, as well as placing what they are routinely working with in close proximity to them.
However, we simply can’t make use of well-intentioned information that tells us to sit up straight, stand up straight, or "use your entire body to turn while lifting heavy luggage…"
We need to feel what whole body participation feels like.
This is a completely subjective experience – the way in which we feel ourselves taking action – and not one that can be relayed through objective ergonomic posters or diagrams.
You see, we are built to move. And in order to move efficiently, our nervous systems’ need to be able to experience as many different variations as possible.
These variations allow us to make better choices when we move. We are able to draw from a larger pool of experiences in order to best execute an action - whatever that action is.
In terms of brain science, it can be explained this way: Experience modifies the connections between neurons so that they become more efficient at processing information.
In order to work and move in more effective ways, you must develop new neural pathways and break out of the cycle of habitual movement patterns.
So, the more experiences we have (the more variations in movement we feel), the more we will be able to move and work more efficiently and effectively.
Which translates into more effective action.
And regardless of how effective you are presently, there’s always room for improvement.
LET ME ASK YOU THIS…
What are you doing to increase your effectiveness?
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*****
Chad Estes
Movement Specialist
cestes@etmconsultants.com
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I certainly agree.
ReplyDeleteThe human body is not meant to be in one position for any length of time, and sitting down for long periods of time really does stress out the body in ways it's not meant to be.
I run a website, sitbetter.com, and find that many people who are looking for pain alleviation think that just a chair is going to cure them. I'm always having to emphasize that it's not just the chair, but how they are utilizing the environment around them. More exactly, however, is how they are allowing their environment to dictate how they are sitting and working.
It needs to be a whole-environment cure, not just one thing is going to help!