Herman Miller blog: Lifework » ergonomics

Five Healthy Home-Office Habits

Amy Feezor — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 12:00:13 +0000

If you find yourself stretching your sore neck and back, rubbing your dry eyes, swallowing a lump of dry nothing, or gasping for clean air, you might be the victim of some unhealthy home-office habits. But it’s never too late to make a change. Check out these five quick reminders from Apartment Therapy Tech for a better you at your desk, then take a look at more tips from Herman Miller’s research on ergonomics for working in a safe, effective way during your work day.

Don’t Forget To Blink
Many of us dramatically slow down our rate of blinking when we’re staring at a glowing computer monitor. Blinking helps to naturally lubricate your eyes, and not doing so makes you dry out and feel uncomfortable. Force yourself to blink frequently as you’re working on the screen. You can even get some help blinking if you must.

Drink (Water)
Help your body by staying hydrated. It’s even easier when you’re working from home, where you can use your favorite glass and always get chilled water instead of a drink from a communal water fountain. If you’re finding yourself hankering for a drink, it’s already been too long. Set “hydration nudges” to remind yourself if you’re not getting enough liquids.

Posture and Ergonomics
If you’re going to be sitting at your desk for a while, make sure you’re comfortably and properly doing so. Find yourself a good ergonomic chair and sit properly at your desk. Keep your wrists and hands comfortable as well with an ergonomic keyboard. (Check out this roundup of ergonomic keyboards highlighted by Apartment Therapy several years ago.)

Clean Air For All
If you’re seeing floating dust particles in the glow of your computer monitor, it’s time to get yourself an air purifier. If it’s stuffy and dry, you’ll need a humidifier. You can even bring a little green into your office to help with the air quality and make yourself feel better.

Get Up And Walk Around
Don’t just sit in your chair all day. Move and stretch a bit. You can even exercise directly from your chair. Keep your body healthy and your blood flowing to your head for a healthy day at the office. Here’s got a great set of 10 exercises you can easily do in the office in just a few minutes.

For more tips on ergonomics and staying healthier in the office, click here.
Original post by Jason Yang. Used in partnership with Apartment Therapy Tech.

Just The Right Chair

Cerentha Harris — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:53:33 +0000

It’s that classic Goldliock’s moment anyone with a home workspace has suffered through. Trying to find just the right office chair. It has to be ergonomic. That is a given. For me it had to have good back support, a seat that doesn’t cut off circulation in your legs and arm rests to keep RSI at bay.

Herman Miller has done an enormous amount of research into ergonomics – we’re an industry leader in the area. I interviewed Gretchen Gscheidle, Director of Insight and Exploration, back in June of last year about her work with Bill Stumpf on the Aeron chair and how to choose an ergonomically-correct chair that’s right for you. We’ve actually made a lot of our hard work available to you here. It’s a great place to start if you’re thinking about buying a new home office chair.

Clockwise from top left: Aeron, SAYL, Mirra, Embody

And of course, it needed to look good. It’s part of your home and for a lot of us who aren’t lucky enough to have dedicated home office this chair will be in public view. So what’s the answer. I recently got an Aeron chair and have never been so happy. It ticks the ergonomics box and looks great in our hard working office/family room/guest bedroom. The nice news for Lifework readers is Herman Miller is now shipping Aeron, Embody, SAYL, Mirra and Setu for just $29. Welcome to 2012!

Ergonomics: Envelop Me

Cerentha Harris — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 09:34:31 +0000

Ergonomics. It is such a dry term. But every single day, regardless of the work we do, we put our body through a whole series of tasks that bring us into contact with tools. Tools that may or may not help our body perform those tasks in a healthy way. I love the idea of sitting down and writing for hours on end – maybe because I’ve got two kids and nothing ever happens for hours on end anymore! Interruptions are embedded into my work day. But even for shorter stretches I’m finding a good chair is an absolute must. Once you’ve got that right, then the desk comes into play. How do I get that surface to work for me as beautifully as my chair?

It’s fascinating to follow our designers as they make that same journey – from chair to desk. The late Bill Stumpf and Jeff Weber were working on the Embody chair when they stumbled on another problem – how we interact with our computers, those screens that we are glued to for so much of our day. Instead of thinking just about the chair the designers took in the whole work universe – chair, work surface and surrounds. They started to consider the desk and chair as a single system. The idea was to create a synergy between the chair and desk that would accomodate all of the ways we like to sit and work. And would do it ergonomically. Ah, that magic word again. Their radical solution was the Envelop desk. A clever design that moves with you as you shift position through out the day.

Unplggd: The Right Laptop Position?

Cerentha Harris — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 14:25:31 +0000

“With a late night project to finish and roommates taking up the whole couch (my usual “desk” space), I was lying on the floor to get my work done. It was all fine and dandy until this morning, when I woke up with sore shoulders. Under the jump, we’ll see some common laptop positions that can cause strain like mine, as well as one that doesn’t cause any strain at all. And we also want to know: What’s your favorite position?

So laptop owner, you bought a sleek notebook computer so you could take it around the house and leave it anywhere without it looking like tech took over the room. But since you’re living the desk-less life and don’t want any bulky ergonomic accessories for your laptop, you’re now stuck trying to find a comfortable position to actually use the thing.

Well it turns out that among a whole slew of uncomfortable, joint-stressing positions you and your computer could get into, there’s one that won’t have you sore the next morning. In a case study by Dave Malouf on Freescale Netbook Design, he discovered the most comfortable position that doesn’t but any unnecessary stress on the joints is “lying down in bed with the device on the thigh when the knees are kept up.”

So is that your favorite position? Or can you usually be found in one of the other, more uncomfortable positions? Or do you have another non-traditional position that keeps the pain away? Let us know in the comments!

Via Core77

By Taryn

(Image: Flickr user Alice Harold under license from Creative Commons.)”

This story appears in partnership with Unplggd, a site for people who embrace technology and design in their home.