Workplace Ergonomics Basics

• Sit AND Stand.  Try to spend roughly half your time sitting and half your time standing.  Humans weren’t designed to sit all day, nor were we designed to stand in the same spot all day on a hard surface.  The more frequently you’re able to move back and forth between sitting and standing the better, (i.e., 30 minutes sitting, then 30 minutes standing).

Pro tip: If you don’t have a Sit/Stand desk, you can stack some books or boxes on your desk and shift your screen up so that your screen is at the optimal height when standing. Or for a somewhat reasonable investment, you could opt for a desktop “converter” like this.

• Support for your Feet.  If you are going to be standing for an extended period (more than 45 minutes), consider wearing footwear with arch support.  The longer you stand on a hard surface without arch support, the more likely your arches are to temporarily collapse. That can create some bio-mechanical issues leading from your legs up into your pelvis and low back, causing low back pain.
• Elbows by your Sides.  Keep your elbows in line with your torso whether you are sitting or standing to make sure your arms are supported by your frame and not the muscles of your neck and shoulders.  When sitting or standing in front of your computer, drop your arms straight down by your sides, bend your elbows to 90°, and wherever your hands are, is also where your keyboard and mouse should be.  Don’t put your elbows out in front of your body.
• Align your computer screen to your Eye Height.  Lift your computer screen so that the middle of your screen is in alignment with your eyes, so that you don’t have to tilt your head up, down, left, or right.

Pro tip: I use a separate keyboard so that my elbows can be by my sides and the screen can be higher up, in alignment with my eyes.

• Look Far Away.  Spend no less than 5 minutes an hour looking out your window at any object that is far away as possible, which will give your eyes a much-needed break from focusing on short distances.
• Movement is your Friend!  In general, the more you can move throughout your day, the better.  Making time to get away from your computer as many times as possible throughout the day is paramount to staying healthy.

Ways to Move

Speaking of moving in support of practicing good workplace ergonomics, here are a few simple suggestions to get you away from your desk. 

• Get some water (hydration is always a good thing!)
• Use the restroom
• Do 10 body weight squats
• Do 10 pushups
• Do 25 jumping jacks
• Walk the office steps
• Take a 10 minute walk
• Grab your laptop and work outside for 30 minutes which is great for eye health (weather permitting). The more natural light you can get into your eyes, the better.

It pays to remember that too much standing or sitting in the wrong position can wreak havoc on our bodies just like playing too hard or exercising a lot using bad form. Healthy workplace ergonomics, whether in your home office or onsite, are essential to maintaining a healthy body. Remember,  check in with yourself often!

Christopher Horan is a longtime Certified Rolfer (CR) as well as a Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor (CFNC) through the Functional Nutrition Alliance. His practice offices are in Tacoma and Bellevue, Washington. 

“Health is Wealth.” I’ve always liked that quote because it’s true. As a Rolfer, and now as a certified Functional Nutrition Counselor, I’m really internalizing the concept. And a number of my Rolfing clients are asking a lot of questions about Functional Nutrition and want to dive in (thank you!). Let’s explore some of the essential framework, in hopes of driving more conversations with you – and potentially, counseling sessions in addition to our Rolfing work together.

First, know that your story is original. Unique. How you’ve come to feel the way you do, whether occasionally not-so-good or perpetually not-well, happened over time. As a different way of approaching healthcare, Functional Nutrition looks at the whole you. How you got where you are, and the way your body has responded. After all, we are not statistics – our thyroid number or blood count or cholesterol and so forth do not define our overall health. My job? To help uncover the source(s) of your dis-ease or illness. Of course, you have good ideas about that, but some things can hide from you, even in your own body. We’ll discover the root of the issue together.

Secondly, there is no magic pill. Would that there were! But only treating the symptom, or even an overarching symptom, dismisses the complexity of whatever health challenge you’re experiencing. Working with me as your Functional Nutrition Counselor will be a steady path, a process vs a cookie-cutter diagnosis. This goes back to #1: your story is original.

Thirdly, framework beats out formula every time. Again, because your story is unique, we need to understand the history and physiology that is yours alone. The functional nutrition framework hangs on a detailed intake form and associated tools that help draw the picture of your specific situation. We meet, discuss the answers, delve deeply into the why, where, when, and how, and then create an accurate representation.

Now, we examine the evidence. Not the typically touted evidence that’s based on what works for 80% of the population, but your evidence in your situation. For instance, almond butter upsets your stomach but every single dietary formula you’ve ever followed says it’s great. But it’s not for you. We’ll look at the evidence and its answers that help map your personal path to whole health.

Lastly, ideal health is not a fixed situation. You don’t reach it and just hang out there. (Although that would be way cool.) We’re all constantly responding to our situation. One day our life is cruising along, minimal bumps, feeling healthy, steady, and good. The day after, not so much. Health, like life, is dynamic. It changes all the time – and that’s a good thing! In Functional Medicine, this natural phenomena is known homeodynamics, our ongoing response to food, rest, and physiological changes (hormones, etc.).

Essentially, Functional Medicine is specific to you.

It’s a personalized, holistic approach. Unlike traditional Western medicine, it’s not an A-to-B quick fix, but a deeper dive into your needs. As your Functional Nutrition Counselor, I’ll uncover and help to resolve your chronic illness much like as your Rolfer, I uncover and resolve your pain source.

Christopher Horan is a Certified Functional Nutrition Counselor (CFNC) through the Functional Nutrition Alliance, as well as a longtime Certified Rolfer. His practice offices are in Tacoma and Bellevue, Washington.

Source: paraphrased from Functional Nutrition 101 by Andrea Nakayama, FNLP, MSN, CNC, CNE, CHHC, founder of the Functional Nutrition Alliance.

Functional Nutrition: It’s the next big thing for my practice. If you’re a Horan Rolfing client, over time we’ve probably talked about the right way to exercise (especially when trying to recover from an injury) and gut health. Hang out with me enough and you’ll quickly realize that overall health and healing is my passion. Building our natural immunity, understanding the power of our gut, the microbiome; these types of topics got me interested in functional nutrition.

What do you know about functional nutrition?

If you’ve been listening to buzz about the science behind functional nutrition, you may be familiar with the concept. The idea that to change your health for the better, you have to understand why you don’t feel your best today. It’s not all that different an approach than the one I take in Rolfing, that the symptom may not be the source of the problem, but it can help us find it.

Full body systems health is invaluable.

Functional nutrition’s goal is to not only help others get healthy, but also to teach them how to stay healthy. The idea is that you work directly with a Functional Nutrition Counselor – that’s me by year end – to determine what’s going on with your body, and how together, we can bring you to optimal health.

Why am I pursuing certification as a Functional Nutrition Counselor through the Functional Nutrition Alliance?

If 2020 convinced me of nothing else, it’s that overall health – mind and body – is the greatest gift we can give ourselves. Full body systems health is invaluable. Combine systems health and pain-free movement? We have a winner!

Rolfing Structural Integration helped me heal from injury and inspired me to become a Certified Rolfer. I believe melding Rolfing with the practical health approach of Functional Nutrition will give my clients a clear path to whole-body health and pain-free living. In the meantime, Rolfing remains center stage, with Full Body Systems waiting in the wings.

Helping your body function at its level best is a goal worth working toward. It’s the whole reason I’m committed to the program.

Christopher Horan is a Certified Rolfer passionate about his clients’ overall health and wellness. You can schedule your pain-relieving Rolfing session at either his Tacoma and Bellevue, WA practice locations using the website scheduling calendar. 

If the pain is gone, why keep up Rolfing treatments?

Rolfing is a holistic approach to bodywork. It’s not only a treatment for pain relief, it’s also a whole-body method that restores balance. If you’re interested in not just treating the symptoms, but the cause, then consider that Rolfing may need to be part of your body’s  “health maintenance” plan.

Think about the whole-body connection. Something going on in your foot can give you shoulder pain. Why? Because your body’s musculature, connective tissues, and nerves don’t exist in silos. Everything is connected. That’s not to say you don’t celebrate the pain going away! Just be aware that unless the underlying causes are treated and resolved, symptoms return.

Holism: (from the Greek term holos “all, whole, entire”) is the idea that various systems (e.g. physical, biological, social) should be viewed as wholes, not merely as a collection of parts.

– Wikipedia

Rolfing looks at the holistic picture.

You likely called me because you want to get rid of pain. And I became a Certified Rolfer to help people recover from pain. But it’s essential that we get your body back into overall alignment, not just chase pain symptoms. That’s why I try to remind my clients that no one can “heal” your body for you. Your body – if it’s in a healthier state – heals itself. My goal is to help your body get to the point that its natural healing capabilities kick in.

When I look at your body’s problems, I look at the whole body. That’s what Rolfing is all about. Yes, pain is how our bodies tell us something is wrong. What pain isn’t so great at telling us is the issue, or source, of the discomfort. The jammed big toe that “heals” can still throw off your gait enough to cause low back pain. Those painful bunions? Blame your abdominal organs as much as you do bad shoe choices. Yep, sounds nuts but it’s true.

So, when you begin a Rolfing series with me, know that we’re going to look at your situation holistically. That’s what Rolfing structural integration is meant to do, not only to look at where changes can be made but also how your life-use of your mind/body could be causing or exacerbating discomfort.  After all, you want permanent healing, and that’s what I want for you, too.

To get a holistic view of what’s going on with your body, and get to the root of pain, contact Christopher via his website or simply schedule your Rolfing session with him directly here. 

How do your muscles get pulled in the first place? Muscle fibers stretch too far past normal working length, tearing muscle fibers. That causes what we’re most familiar with as a “pulled muscle.” It can be severe enough to keep you from working out like usual for weeks at a time. Let’s talk about recovery and Rolfing – because you definitely want to recover properly to get back to 100%.

How can Rolfing help you recover from pulled muscles?’

Usually, the first thing we want to do is try to stretch it out. The assumption is that we pulled it because it was too short. Here’s where understanding how one part of the body’s musculature and myofascial affect another part is so important.

For example, did you know a pulled hamstring may not have anything to do with your hamstring being short? Yep. It could be that a short quadricep is pulling your pelvis into a front tilt. Because your hamstrings attach to the back of your pelvis, your hamstring is actually being pulled too long! That means the last thing you want to do is stretch your hamstrings. Instead, you need to stretch – or lengthen – your quads.

Other reasons for pulled muscles: Poor habits & dehydration.

You may be thinking, “How could my quads get too short?” It all depends on how you’re using your body, from how you sit to how you work out. If an injury or a bad habit makes your muscles misfire – the sequence is off – then it’s a lot easier to pull a muscle.

Another reason for a pulled muscle is dehydration. You’d be amazed at how much it matters to your muscles that you’re well-hydrated, because there’s simply no elasticity in dehydrated soft tissue. Here, test yourself:

Pinch the skin right behind any knuckle on your hand. Did it flatten out right away? Excellent. Way to keep hydrated. Did it stay pinched for any time at all? You’re dehydrated – drink water now!

Remember, as little as 2% dehydration affects your mental alertness and physical performance. Get into the habit of checking your non-diuretic fluid intake. Caffeinated coffee, sodas, even green tea, causes more frequent urination. If you’re not balancing that out with healthy hydration, you’re placing your muscles – and your mind – at a disadvantage.

We’ll explore all possible reasons for your muscle pain during your initial examination when I evaluate your body mechanics. Our Rolfing sessions together are focused on getting your body – and how you use it – back into balance for the long term. That often means creating new habits and patterns. Let’s get started!

At Horan Rolfing, my goal is to help you move pain-free again. We’ll work together to restore your body’s ease, balance, and strength. Schedule a Rolfing appointment with me in the Tacoma location of Horan Rolfing or in the Bellevue office.