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  • A warning to everyone: Exercise

Let this serve you all to be as a warning of how to be better and do yourself some good.
You are able to correct what has been done wrong, and thus do yourself some good!
Do not give yourself and others anymore excuses and see to it that things change for the better.
After all it is in your personal interest! Do not delay this any further and the sooner you react the better off you are.

GET UP AND EXCRESICE REGULARILY! STRETCH YOUR BACK AND PICK UP A SPORT THAT MAKES YOU MOVE!
THIS IS FOR YOUR OWN BENEFIT!

During the last couple of years, I have had to drive almost daily an average of 260km/day at about 2-5x/week. Not only has that increased the milage on my car but has also taken a toll on my health. During the last couple of months, I have been really busy with work that i have sat in a static position for an average of 11hrs/day. This has resulted with back pains which in a short period became chronic. now, I have a hard time sitting down, laying on my bed and have to take pain killers so that I can drive to work. what is worse is that the nerves ends in my lower back have inflamed sending random "jolts" all the way down to my toes. I have twice been in a car crash risk, the first time driving in the city and the second time on the highway. in both cases, i was barelly able to react and pull the handbrake avoiding an accident.

now, I have to pop pain killers, loose 20kg wheight and go to therapy. overtime, this will pass but it will remain chronic so i have to daily excersice and stretch to avoid for it to become worse.

I highly recommend that you would commence excercising and to take stretching brakes at intervals. I also recommend that you would use a saddle chair. I used to have one and i used to sit on it from morning until noon and then swap to an ergonomic office chair for the rest of the day. sometimes i swapped every two hours. for the past two years, i have not had that luxury but i will invest in it on first given chance. I also recommend that you would use high desks and sit in an ergonomic position and avoid laying your wrists on laptops for prolonged periods. this alone has given me the carpatunnel syndrome.


So learn from my mistakes and do better, do youserlf good and invest in ergonomics and good health. Its just like not brushing your teeth, if you do not brush your teeth, then the dentist bill is going to be huge for the rest of your life with all the crowns and bridges and implants etc.
I've been seriously looking into laptop/desktop ergonomics for a while now. I spend over 12h/day in front of a computer screen, I'm afraid the risks are very real. I'm afraid I'm about to develop Carpal Tunnel Syndrom and that might interfere with my programming.

Does anyone have any reliable (and preferably cheap) solutions to suggest?
i agree,sitting too long has given me a lordosis, better fix it soon before it gets permanent
Thanks for the post. An ergonomic workspace is definitely best.
But for me, I choose a cheaper alternative. I use a simple timer on my pc, set to 30 mins intervals, so I remember to stand up and do a couple back stretches for just 3-5 secs, and for resting the eyes, I look at distant objects away from monitor. I do it at work, the small-minded might think it's silly, but you're the winner in the end. Leave them laugh if they will, As they say "He who laughs last, laughs best".
In case anyone's interested, this is the simple timer I use (no installation needed):
Orzeszek Timer 1.6
112 KB
http://www.orzeszek.org/dev/timer/
I spend alot of time sitting on a chair too. Either working on PC, laptop, working on a project or whatever.

I don't drive alot during the day, maximum 40mins i think. But you are right whatever we do we are always sitting on a chair.

I really recommend going out for a walk, a 20min walk doesn't hurt and is very useful.
Some people do not realize the amount of time you spend in a chair. When I leave work and pay a visit to family or the lot, they keep telling me "have a seat". I have to constantly tell them "I'm sitting down for at least 12 hours per day, I need to stand".

It's not that I have a solution for you because i almost suffer from the same, but what I'm doing these days is try to walk as much as I can. The thing is, I'm not doing it to solve the problem, but i honestly miss walking and mostly I miss running, it seems to really alleviate some of the stress I get.

Being outdoors is a great comfort to us techies.
Very good advice..
I am in the same situation so i started to do stretching with friends, around 1 hour 15min 3 times a week
it's helping me become more peaceful and in a good mood. and of course my knee pain and other pain are going slowly..
Good luck for everyone ..
Good advice.

I work out 3 days a week, do yoga once a week and try to get out and do something most days (except after my really heavy workouts). And yes, it does pay to make your work area as ergonomically correct as you can afford--it will avoid pain and maybe quasi-permanent damage down the road.

I used to travel a lot for work and always had a sore shoulder from lugging my laptop around as well a sore back. I resorted to getting massages a couple times a week and that got me through that period (also played golf which helped my flexibility, but not my back.) Bottom line, get your lazy ass out of your chair and do something occasionally. Standing like xterm does is better than sitting, and some people think better on their feet too.
My field of expertise, I have a slight spine deviation (12 degrees) due to too much leaning forward and from hauling my backpack during high school. I went to a physiotherapist who gave me some tips for everyday seating positions and workout exercises (I'll upload them as soon as I can).

What I suggest is the following:

I - For lower back pains and regular seating: Sit on a chair with back support (preferably something with a soft cushion) and maintain a 90 degree seating position (your lower back should be in direct cohesion with the chair's 90 degree bend and your back should stay straight at all times). If you are sitting on a hard chair, I recommend using one of the microbead cushions to rest your back on (they're generally made of a mixed spandex and nylon filled with microgranules, so the cushion expands to tack the form of your back):



I got mine from Germany during the Rehatecknik exhibition for 10 Euros.

II - For neck pains: Use an altered version of the microbead cushion which is devised for neck support:



Some exercises can also be done (to be uploaded).

III- For wrist pains and early signs of carpatunnel syndrome: If the pain is excessive, then you have to cut down the work load on your wrist for about a week so the nerve can rest and heal. Try placing hot and cold water pads alternatively to ease pain and possible inflammation. Massage hands and wrists to relieve pressure. While working, especially on a keyboard, it is advised to use a wrist splint to take load off nerve:



Use the wrist splints at night for two weeks in case pain arises in wrist.

Advised use of wrist pads for frequent users of keyboards:



Position the keyboard so that it is at elbow level. Forearms, wrists and hands should be in a straight line parallel to the floor while typing.

Stress ball exercises highly recommended.

I'll ask the physiotherapists at work for additional advise, and find out the prices of each of the seating pad, microbead cushion, and stress ball (the one that comes with gel inside not foam).
@messa177 i have some neck problem wondering were can i find that microbed cushion...

by the way thanks everybody for your input, i guess we all have problem due to sitting all day at work...

i will try to get a medicaly proven chair for my work, before i have any back problems since am having some pain... and i already have my neck pain which can be extremely annoying...

for anybody who doesnt have any pain, please be cautious before you start having pains and problems...
Interesting thread. Does anyone know where can we purchase ergonomic computer desks and chairs for a good price?
If you are uncomfortable with the idea of lifting weights and want the appropriate motivation, I recommend Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. The book details five essential exercises that can be achieved using only a barbell (or "axe" like we Lebanese call it). The book is really detailed and goes deep to the biological/anatomical level. It is a great program for beginners, and I have been having good results (went from skinny to squatting my own weight in a couple of months).
Glad that till now I don't have such problems. I used to follow a 100 push ups program, it is great and considerably improves your strength which I think is a key to not having such problems later on. I reached a point where I could do up to 40 push ups in one set and later I just stopped for no reason. It has been around 2 months, last time I tried I could barely do 20. I used to do intermittent exercise(jogging + sprint) around 2 hours a week but I stopped a around 6 months ago.

I think strength exercises helped me avoid such problems given that I spend around 10 hours on PC per day without even caring about the way I sit or breaks. I have to go back to exercising before its too late but I just lack the motivation. I am becoming a very lazy person.
My friend linked me to fitocracy today. In a nutshell, it can be described as gamification meets fitness. If points and achievements motivate you, I'll send you an invite.
I started going to the gym (this is my third week), and I do feel a lot better than before. Minor back pain is now gone, and began losing weight like crazy. Weight lifting is painful but enjoyable and healthy. Though before you begin strength training, it is recommended to do a 4 week period beginners training just to get the hang of it (low weight, 3-5 rounds per exercise, 12 reps max per round). To be honest, in the first 2 weeks you'll feel like $hit, and might not even be able to move a lot (since your muscles will be sore). After that you can do strength training (which is increasing weight, 3 rounds per exercise, 5 reps max per exercise).

Samer: There are 5 exercises you can do to gain strength: Squats, Deadlifts, Bench Press, Shoulder Press, and Pull ups.

Although I am a beginner, I have been reading a lot about weight lifting and gathered some interesting and crucial info. Do not mixup between cardio exercises and strength training; each has a different result.

Weight lifting is amazing; I totally recommend it.

Ayman: Start going to the gym with a friend, you'll become more motivated
Samer, I would love an invite. I have requested one on the website ages ago, never heard from them.
I first heard of it, months ago through xkcd.
here is a pitch, what do you guys think of setting up a common blog/thread/whatever unto which the willing can signup and list what they have done daily?!?!

I for one have been using http://www.sports-tracker.com/
@Bash, we can create a LebGeeks group on fitocracy. I sent you an invite.
Edit: created it! Here's the link. We can even create group challenges.