THURSDAY, AUGUST 02, 2007

Freelancing: Not as healthy a lifestyle as you might think

by Jeremy Schnitker

Sitting on the Job: How to Survive the Stages of Sitting Down to Work

A large number - maybe even the majority - of freelancers spend their entire day working at a computer. Writers, Web programmers, Web designers and illustrators all likely spend hours at a desk staring at a screen.

At first glance, this lifestyle may not appear to pose any serious health risks. But that's not what chiropractor and occupational health expert Dr. Scott Donkin says.

The author of Sitting on the Job: How to Survive the Stages of Sitting Down to Work, says life at the computer is rife with potential ailments if you don't set up your work place in a way that's comfortable to you.

"You can get chronic recurring low back pain, chronic recurring stress, neck pain, repetitive strain disorders in arms and hands," Donkin warned. "Over the course of a career, those issues can lead to accelerated degeneration in areas where you have the greatest pressure."

According to Donkin, many of the positions you put your body in while working at a desk or a computer go against way it was designed to idle. Humans are most comfortable when they're bodies are in an upward state, but as anybody who works from a laptop knows, you're rarely in that position. This is not good, Donkin said, for being in such a positions can affect your sight, posture and even breathing habits.

"If you're pecking away at your laptop and slumped forward you're not able to breath in as easy," he said, "and if your body can't get the oxygen that it needs you get fatigued."

For an example of what not to do, he pointed to a famous Peanuts cartoon character.

"If you look like Linus - hunched over pecking away at your computer - then you're going to end up like that," he said. "We have something on our site called "Turtle back," which shows long-term effect of poor postures."

Freelancers who do a lot of work from home put themselves at even more of a risk than 9-5ers working at a desk.

"Home offices are notoriously booby-trapped with poor chairs and poor adjustments," he said. "People think those types of things aren't important, but time and repetition [of doing them] determine the importance."

Sounds scary, huh? Well, don't go throwing your iBooks out the window just yet. Donkin says there are many simple things a person could do to prevent these problems.

For starters, getting a chair with a seat pan high enough that your knees rest at a 90-100 degree angle helps dramatically. Having your computer monitor rigged so you're looking up at it and having your mouse and keyboard in close proximity to one another also helps.

He said it's also a good idea to get away from your desk and take micro breaks every hour or so.

"You don't have to do a full stretching routine; what you can do in a matter of five seconds - sit up right, take breath, smile, shake your wrists - these negative things are less likely to accumulate on you over time."

Dr. Donkin said people who work at computers are more likely to lose their accommodation reflex sooner than the national average. One way to prevent your eyesight form deteriorating is to take 20/20 breaks.

"Every 20 minutes, stop your work and look at something that is more than 20 feet away. It will help your ability to focus."

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