A few of my favorite cosas: Ergonomics + wellness edition

Older millennial alert! I have now been in the working world, office-grind cycle for long enough that I now take ergonomics seriously. Why didn’t my younger self care about this? Why did my younger self work on a laptop on my actual lap?

It was only a year after COVID-19 arrived, and staying at home working all day while letting my anxiety of an uncertain world get the best of me, that I started to wake up in the morning with stiff hands next to my face. I would have to spend a couple of moments in the morning to consciously try to flex my hands and stretch them out using a rubber ball. But months later the stiffness turned into tingling and numbing sensations and the hand tingling followed me into the evening and at bedtime. I couldn’t get a good night’s sleep at this point and it was affecting my energy and focus the next day. I finally talked to HR and I was recommended to seek out physical therapy through workers compensation. While it was obvious that years of computer work was the reason that put me there, I also learned through my physical therapy that I had a lot of tension in my shoulders and neck that I was probably holding for many years due to my old friend anxiety. The tension and tight shoulders that were now pulling at my arms and hands was my body communicating to me that I needed to release myself of my old ways of coping and finding a path to not only more mobility but wellness.

Whether you’re an OG millennial like myself or are someone who also stores tension in those areas of your body, these products below can help you prevent or mitigate some of that strain that typing on you computer for hours and years can produce. These “things” are more functional rather than favorite. But, hey, why not make ergonomics fashionable? Enjoy!

Kinesis Freestyle 2 Keyboard and Evoluent Mouse

My number one pick for ergonomic desk experience is the Kinesis Freestyle keyboard that makes you feel like a pianist. The raised aspect of the keyboard forces you to lift up your hands ever-so-slightly so that you have to lightly tap away on each key as if your composing a beautiful melodious email. Floating and raised hands vs. resting hands that exert more than necessary force on the key is better for you. Think about it? You type all day, so why not do it without repetitively hitting the board like you are writing on a typewriter from the 1950s.

Second item: the Evoluent Sideway mouse. If you’ve been holding your mouse the same way for many years, it is now time to hold it differently my friends. I know, obvious advice, but believe me, it’s a game changer to simply change the orientation of your hand. Just like the pyramid board, the design of this mouse forces you to have a lighter grip which in turn is good for mitigating the negative impact of repetitive hand motions. I have been using this mouse for over a year and it gave my right hand immediate relief as it is exercising different parts of my hand. Some people even buy a left hand mouse to exercise their non-dominant hand. I bought the left one but I admit that I don’t quite find it natural.

Even if you don’t buy the pyramid keyboard or the sideway mouse, it really is about just changing up your computing habits so that you’re not engaged in the same repetitive hand motions every single day.

For instance, I’ve been trying to write things down, on a piece of paper, and you realize how it’s also good to go back to old school handwriting.

Tresanti Adjustable Standup desk

As many studies have shown, sedentary jobs will slowly but surely kill us. Okay. That was dramatic. I mean, they will very, very, very, very slowly kill us. The point here is that what the studies are saying is that we need to start walking more and moving throughout the day. As my doctor once told me, it’s better to take five minute standup breaks throughout the day rather than just one long walk during lunch. Really? Yes, really. So get yourself a Tresanti standup desk like this one that is available at Costco and that has 4.7 stars from consumers. This table is electric and goes up and down with the press of a button but you can also program it so that it goes up to the height that is appropriate for your stature. I must admit that I was sitting while writing this and now am reminded to stand up. If you need a reminder, I recommend the Stand Up! app. It has an effective alert when it reminds you to stand up because it wants you to live longer. It literally tells you on your phone “We want you to live longer.” Dang, this app really cares about me I jokingly tell myself when I see this alert pop up every 45 minutes.

Acupuncture

The next favorite item is actually comprised of many things such as needles and cups. If you would have told me that I would be into acupuncture and cupping 10 years ago, I would’ve scoffed at the notion and written off as very new age, which was not me, but my doctor recommended it to release some of the tension in my shoulders and hands. I tried both and am now a believer. So much so that during a session, I leaned into my curiosity and asked the acupuncturist how cupping worked.

Me, naively: “So how does it work? Is it like blood circulation? Is my blood circulation blocked in my shoulder and hands?”

The acupuncturist: “It’s the Chi, the Chi is blocked in that part of your body.”

Me, even more naively: “So is Chi like blood circulation?”

Acupuncturist, started to get annoyed: “It’s Energy.”

Me, trying to intellectualize but actually repeating myself: “So is Energy kinda like blood flowing through your body?”

Acupuncturist, slightly more annoyed at me: “It’ s just Chi.”

End of conversation and I stood corrected. I also realized that I didn’t need to fully understand from my western point of view in order to truly appreciate acupuncture/cupping and know that it worked for me. I immediately felt a tension leave my shoulders and hands right after my first acupuncture and cupping session. Attending a couple of sessions can get pricey but I was fortunate to receive some workers compensation physical therapy to offset the costs. I recommend finding some good deals on groupon, which is what I do now that I don’t have physical therapy.

I would be remiss not to mention that your first few sessions will be uncomfortable, especially when you are becoming acquainted with your knots that have been holding your tension for many years. Interestingly enough, though I was trying to remediate issues with my hands to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome, a lot of my therapy focused on my neck and shoulders since it was the tightness there that was constricting the blood flow or chi to my hands and other parts of my body.

Apple Fitness +

For just an annual fee of $79.99 you will have access to multiple high-quality workouts and classes through the Apple Fitness + Application. I just go to my app on my phone, connect it to my TV so I can see it on a bigger screen, and explore the range of workouts–from Dancing hip hop with LaShawn for 30 minutes or taking a meditation break with Christian for 10 minutes. The dance classes are my personal favorite since they get creative and sometimes feature the music of specific artists for the entire class–I have taken the JLo, Shakira and Taylor Swift class. Every time you complete the class you see your ring goals on the screen as well as your heartbeat stats, reminding you that you’re getting the work done and kicking butt.

Recently, because of my mobility/flex issues, I have been taking the Yoga class with Molly and plan to build up strength to take the more advance yoga classes with Jessica. The class times ranges from 10 minutes to 45 minutes, so it’s quite easy to find the time to work on your flexibility in the comfort of your own living room. Considering that some of the yoga classes around here are about $25 to $30 per class, I consider this a major steal.

9 Round Kickbox Fitness

Another recent favorite thing of mine is not a thing. It’s an experience. It’s a workout called 9 Round and it’s a boxing circuit training workout. I was having a tough week emotionally when I discovered this workout. And I mentioned this because sometimes a workout or a specific way of exercising can really take you out of a funk. And this workout really helped me deal with emotions of frustration and anger–emotions that I am not at all comfortable with even when there are legitimate things to be angry about in life. I know we all get angry. It is universal, but for some reason I have a harder time tapping into that. And, sometimes, it just turns into anxiety or worry rather than frustration and anger.

I am familiar with and am a fan of Audre Lorde’s essay on the Uses of Anger (1981), and thus am intellectually accepting of the notion that anger can be an energizing and motivating emotion. However, this has been an emotion that has been difficult for me to access. But over the last two years or so, I have been more open to this feeling of anger because I simply just get tired of living in anxiety. But the question becomes–what do I do with this sensation that was traveling through my chest that felt like gas but was actually anger? How do I use it?

I wanted to use it to feel activated for positive behavior and to also feel strong. I also knew, from my experience with acupuncture, that I needed to find a way to not hold my emotions in my body, but to release them. Therefore, I was inspired to try out a different gym class. I was immediately drawn to 9 round for two reasons: 1. you can try it for free and 2. it’s only 30 minutes.

The concept for nine rounds is quite simple. You have nine rounds of boxing and circuit training that you need to complete in 30 minutes. The first round is jump rope. The second round is kettle ball. The third round is jabs and crosses and the fourth round includes sidekicks and hooks. It’s not only physically exhilarating, but it also demands mental clarity, especially when you need to concentrate on the small punching bag while maintaining hand, and eye coordination. All those feelings that you were holding inside suddenly melt away. Not only do you feel that you can stand on your on two feet and handle any challenge that can come your way, but you also feel that you can transform those feelings of anger into a productive energy. After that first session I was hooked! I signed up and I was okay to move on with my life as person with a broader range of emotions.

I hope you enjoyed this practical list of a few of my favorite things. And, if none of these things speak to you, then I recommend the simplest hack to becoming more flexible and generally having better Chi: drink more water and stretch!

If you’d like to check out my more fashionable favorite things, check out the post here for the classic “A Few of my favorite things for 2023.” Also, please feel free to share some of your own wellness tips below! hasta pronto, xoxo LC