How Your Job is Killing

Your job may be killing you, aside from the whole bit of sitting for hours on end working on web development and such. First of all, your commute to work can wreck havoc on your health. Statistically speaking, if you travel more than ten miles to work, you are more likely to have higher blood sugar and blood pressure. It will also mess with your sleep. Once you get to work, you notice that your office has changed and there are much more standing desks than sitting ones. But we actually invented chairs because we're not made to stand for long periods of time, either. Those standing desks are even creating new problems. Your monitor is now in a less ideal position, which pisses off your neck, and you're overextending your wrists, increasing your risk of carpal tunnel syndrome. You might lose a few pounds, but it's actually a worse idea if you're overweight, because it puts too much of a strain on your back, joints, and veins. Bottom line? Move around every 20 minutes or so.

Reasons to Smile

We have learned a lot over the past decade about happiness. I am sure that you have seen plenty of articles about meditation and mindfulness these days. With as much as we have been able to figure out about human happiness, that is still just the surface. Here are a couple facts summarizing what we know so far. First of all, as we age, we get happier. That might be due to learning to love who we are and not trying to be someone else. One of the most amazing things about the human brain is neuroplasticity -- the brain's capacity to rewire itself in response to new experiences. We can actually wire our brains for happiness by focusing our attention on positive experiences and emotions. Another amazing benefit of being happy is that it increases your immunity, improves sleep quality, and protects you from various diseases. Being kind to others is a fast track to happiness. Volunteering makes people happierand boosts their longevity, according to a recent review of studies. Helping others may also be an effective way to combat feelings of disconnection in our increasingly online lives. Too much use of technology and communication services can actually isolate us and make us lonelier.

Dressing for Work

How do you feel about your dress code at work? Is it too relaxed or too uptight? In the software development business and all those silicon valley companies, you see people straight out of college working in jeans and a t-shirt. In a recent study published in the journal Social Psychological & Personality Science, Columbia University and California State University researchers suggested that more formal clothing resulted in more abstract cognitive processing. Of course, this study is nowhere near answering the question of why it happens but we can speculate. Since the more formal way of dressing might symbolize power, it can lead people in thinking along higher-level ideas. It might even improve your mood if you feel good in the formal clothes and think it looks good. It is not so much about knowledge but the attitude towards a problem or question at this point. I think there should be rules about formal dress and everyone should take casual Friday very seriously.

Healthy Workplace Practices

Sitting for long periods of time can be so damaging for your health. If large companies and even small business wish to keep their employees, they need to seriously think about promoting healthy workplace practices. One of the ways that you can change your constant sitting is by creating your own standing workstation. Raise your work surface to the appropriate height for standing and use a stool when you need to sit. You should also try to stand when you are talking to someone either in person or over internet phone systems. This will actually achieve several goals at once. You will get the benefit of standing and also be more productive because when you are standing you tend to get more so to the point. If you are in one posture for too long, get up and stretch it out or do a lap or two around the office. A sure sign that you have been sitting too long is that you are getting tired which is you metabolism slowing down. Lastly, you do not need to do it alone. Have a buddy to stand with you and hold you accountable for standing more.