The Wireless Keyboard and Mouse: The Answer to the 9-5 Day

Science has spoken, and if you are one of the millions of Americans who sit at a computer for more than eight hours a day, listen up. The body is not designed to sit in a chair all day. We are hunters and gatherers by nature and all of this pencil pushing, office politics and 9 to 5 work days have taken a toll on our species. Obesity, back pain and heart disease are running rampant in our society largely in part to inactivity in the workplace. Is there a solution? We think so and have compiled a short list of things to consider:

How can you fight back against the cubicle-confined standard?

Get up and move
According to an article in Men’s Health, desk jobs are a silent killer. Even if you exercise everyday consistently, working a 40-60 hour week sitting at a desk is still considered a sedentary lifestyle. Get up and move! Walk around or do jumping jacks in your cubicle. For every hour of sitting you should be active for five minutes. Wireless keyboards are a great way to mobilize your office to get your heart pumping. As long as you can see the computer (within 33 feet) you can still work on it with a wireless keyboard and mouse.

Ergonomics
Dating back to the fifth century BC, ergonomics—the study of humans and their interaction with the workplace—has been prevalent in society. From the Greek roots ergon (work), nomos (laws) and ic (pertaining to or having to do with), ergonomics literally means pertaining to the laws of work. Hellenic society even used ergonomics to design their tools and workplaces. Since that time, the term has been marketed to death with companies claiming their ergonomic chair, wireless keyboard and mouse, or desk is the best. And while the marketing department may have gone overboard on some things, the principle is correct. If you orient your body in the most natural position possible, you will be more productive and your body will thank you later.

Wireless devices
With the onset of wireless technology, office health and wellness has the potential to improve dramatically. Items like wireless keyboard and mouse combos, Bluetooth phones, iPhones and iPads have made business easy to do on-the-go. If you’re feeling restless, grab your Bluetooth ear piece, walk around your office and make your business calls for the day while getting your heart rate pumping.

While you may not feel the onset of back pain, carpal tunnel or other 9-5 related ailments right away, you will down the road. Take steps now to improve your working environment, assisting your body instead of harming it. Our advice? Buy a wireless keyboard and mouse. With the fantastic wireless range of up to 33 feet that most wireless keyboard and mouse combos provide, you can transport your keyboard to a higher table and stand up while working. If you work from home, you could even hook up you computer to a big screen TV and walk back and forth from the kitchen to the couch while working. Just be sure to leave the potato chips in the kitchen. Even the smallest changes can lead to a healthier you. Who knows, maybe after a few months of fighting against the 9 to 5 standard, if one of our hunter and gatherer ancestors stopped you on the street you could give them a run for their money. Maybe.

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