Live Yes! With Arthritis Podcast- Episode 8: Stay Home Ergonomically
By: Julie Eller, Podcast Host
As we socially distance to flatten the curve of the pandemic, our homes are becoming the epicenters of our lives. Listen to the latest episode of the Live Yes! With Arthritis podcast to learn how to stay home ergonomically.
The novel coronavirus outbreak has assigned each of us new titles — like at-home employee, teacher, head chef, exercise coach and czar of the disinfectant —and it’s having a similar effect on our homes. As we retreat into our dwellings to keep ourselves and our families safe from COVID-19, our homes must meet a new level of responsibility. They are now our workplaces, schools, restaurants, gyms, laundromats and more, often meeting those demands not only for one individual but for a whole family. At a time when our homes are wearing as many new hats as we are, it is essential that we create spaces in our homes that help us live well.
That’s why Rebecca and I chatted last week with ergonomics specialist Nikki Weiner for the Live Yes! With Arthritis podcast. Nikki, a licensed occupational therapist and founder of The Rising Workplace, helped us consider how we can modify our homes to work for us as we make use of our residences in brand new ways. She taught us that ‘ergonomics’ is really just a fancy word for life-hacks that help us live in a more joint-friendly world, filled with neutral postures that keep our bodies happy as we move through daily tasks. Employing some of her tactics and suggestions helps us remain productive with less pain throughout the day.
Throughout the conversation, I kept thinking about how bogged down I have been feeling in these uncertain and trying times. COVID-19 has interrupted lives, and comfort zones, all across the world. Sometimes I feel like I don’t have very much that is within my control. The weight of our current situation has been heavy on my shoulders; my productivity has taken a hit, and my joints get stiffer and stiffer the more I work without the comforts of my office space at work. Talking to Nikki helped me realize that there are easy steps I can take at home to regain some control, setting myself up for more productive days with fewer moments of distracting pain.
We talked about how to set up an ergonomic at-home workstation for both the working adults in your family and the children who have been displaced from schools. We chatted about ways to limit joint stress by creating healthy routines in your day that quite literally set your body up for success. And the best part of Nikki’s advice was that she helped us think about the items we already have in our homes that can help us make some healthy modifications.
In early March, my boyfriend and I loaded up the car and drove to Tennessee to hunker down with family and ride out this public health crisis. We cobbled together a few office items that would keep us productive as we set up at a dining room table with his siblings to work through the day. This temporary workstation was one of the least ergonomic, but we were all making do with what we had. Immediately after we completed the recording, I realized that we were all hunching over our computer monitors, which were not high enough to keep our spines at a neutral posture. We ran around the house and grabbed a few high school yearbooks, LSAT prep books and even some cardboard boxes — and we used them to prop up our computers and sit more comfortably in our chairs.
In my experience this week, I’ve learned that employing some ergonomic principles to my at-home workstation not only helps me reduce my physical joint stress, but it also helps restore some sense of control to my life in these uncertain times. I welcome you to listen to the latest episode of the Live Yes! With Arthritis podcast. The conversation certainly helped me find some body-and-mind peace over the last week, and I hope it will do the same for you. Listen today.
As we socially distance to flatten the curve of the pandemic, our homes are becoming the epicenters of our lives. Listen to the latest episode of the Live Yes! With Arthritis podcast to learn how to stay home ergonomically.
The novel coronavirus outbreak has assigned each of us new titles — like at-home employee, teacher, head chef, exercise coach and czar of the disinfectant —and it’s having a similar effect on our homes. As we retreat into our dwellings to keep ourselves and our families safe from COVID-19, our homes must meet a new level of responsibility. They are now our workplaces, schools, restaurants, gyms, laundromats and more, often meeting those demands not only for one individual but for a whole family. At a time when our homes are wearing as many new hats as we are, it is essential that we create spaces in our homes that help us live well.
That’s why Rebecca and I chatted last week with ergonomics specialist Nikki Weiner for the Live Yes! With Arthritis podcast. Nikki, a licensed occupational therapist and founder of The Rising Workplace, helped us consider how we can modify our homes to work for us as we make use of our residences in brand new ways. She taught us that ‘ergonomics’ is really just a fancy word for life-hacks that help us live in a more joint-friendly world, filled with neutral postures that keep our bodies happy as we move through daily tasks. Employing some of her tactics and suggestions helps us remain productive with less pain throughout the day.
Throughout the conversation, I kept thinking about how bogged down I have been feeling in these uncertain and trying times. COVID-19 has interrupted lives, and comfort zones, all across the world. Sometimes I feel like I don’t have very much that is within my control. The weight of our current situation has been heavy on my shoulders; my productivity has taken a hit, and my joints get stiffer and stiffer the more I work without the comforts of my office space at work. Talking to Nikki helped me realize that there are easy steps I can take at home to regain some control, setting myself up for more productive days with fewer moments of distracting pain.
We talked about how to set up an ergonomic at-home workstation for both the working adults in your family and the children who have been displaced from schools. We chatted about ways to limit joint stress by creating healthy routines in your day that quite literally set your body up for success. And the best part of Nikki’s advice was that she helped us think about the items we already have in our homes that can help us make some healthy modifications.
In early March, my boyfriend and I loaded up the car and drove to Tennessee to hunker down with family and ride out this public health crisis. We cobbled together a few office items that would keep us productive as we set up at a dining room table with his siblings to work through the day. This temporary workstation was one of the least ergonomic, but we were all making do with what we had. Immediately after we completed the recording, I realized that we were all hunching over our computer monitors, which were not high enough to keep our spines at a neutral posture. We ran around the house and grabbed a few high school yearbooks, LSAT prep books and even some cardboard boxes — and we used them to prop up our computers and sit more comfortably in our chairs.
In my experience this week, I’ve learned that employing some ergonomic principles to my at-home workstation not only helps me reduce my physical joint stress, but it also helps restore some sense of control to my life in these uncertain times. I welcome you to listen to the latest episode of the Live Yes! With Arthritis podcast. The conversation certainly helped me find some body-and-mind peace over the last week, and I hope it will do the same for you. Listen today.
