How to avoid the physical hazards of steemit, write better content and earn more up-votes!

Iearn how to steemit like a Rock Star! Take control and post like a boss, improve your concentration and general well being while you are steemiting!

Sitting in a chair in front of a computer for extended amounts of time isn’t the best thing for your health. As ambitious steemitites we do it on a more than regular basis. By doing a few simple exercises I am going to teach you how to relax a little and improve your post quality, steem earnings and overall well being

Now slowly breath in.......and....breath out..........Now say after me, Goosfraba! Good, now let us get started.

Unfortunately our unbound steemit enthusiasm can put us at risk of getting neck, shoulder and or upper back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and lower back and sciatic nerve pain. Don’t be scared. I’m not saying that choosing to be a steemitite condemns you to a lifetime of pain and suffering. The point is, if you know how to take care of yourself, you can prevent these problems from occurring and continue to steem your little heart out.

Now please I’m not a licensed massage therapist. When I decided to start posting on steemit I almost instantly got hooked, I was well aware of the physical risks, however I ignored them and worked on my posts for hours on end. I ignored the tingling in my palms and numbness in my fingertips and continued to steemit like a steem train. I knew these were signs of carpal tunnel syndrome, but I didn’t care because I had a steemit addiction and nothing was going to stop me. Then the other morning I woke up after a 8 hr steemit binge, and I couldn’t turn my head to the left or lift my head head directly up of the pillow . The left side of my neck and my left shoulder throbbed with pain.

 That’s when I decided that I needed to figure out a way to take better care of myself  so I can continue to write good content original articles and continue to do what has now become a passion, Man I love steemit....

The most common problem experienced among bloggers and coders is the dreaded " Carpal tunnel syndrome"

Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by the compression of the nerves that run through the wrist into your hands and fingers. This nerve is called the median nerve. The median nerve passes through a thin narrow space in your wrist, along with the tendons a that connect to your fingers. When these tendons become overworked, they get inflamed and put pressure on the median nerve. This causes the burning, tingling and numbness associated with carpal tunnel syndrome. If left untreated, carpal tunnel syndrome can cause atrophy of the muscles in the hand and loss of the ability to grip. Trust me, you don’t want that to happen. I have recently had a taste of it after writing a Mega steemit and trust me it sucks! My risks burn and my hands cramp leaving me typing like a 2 fingered sloth.

The neck, shoulder and back pain are the next associated with working at the computer. This is mostly caused from bad posture and staying in one position too long. Sciatica can develop from sitting down too long. All of these problems can be solved by making a few simple changes.

 

7 Basic tips for upper body, hand and wrist health for Steemitites

1. Maintain upright posture. Your back should be straight and the top of your monitor should be level with your eyes.  If you have to look  down or up, then you need to adjust the height of your screen so you are looking directly ahead comfortably.
2. Put your keyboard on a flat surface and adjust your chair so that the armrests are low enough to prevent shrugging your shoulders and high enough to ensure you do not have to slump to rest your elbows on the  armrests.
3. Adjust the height of your chair so that your forearms are level with  your keyboard and gently resting on your armrests if possible, now you don’t have to flex your wrists to type.
4. Adjust your keyboard so that you do not have to bend your wrist upward while typing, this one kills me personally. 
5. Use a thin profile keyboard if possible or a palm rest to slightly lift and support the heel of the hand. When your hands are resting on the keyboard, make sure they are in a straight line with the forearm and the weight is on the heal of your hand instead of hovering your hands in mid air.
6. Take micro breaks at 20-30 min intervals.
7. Do hand and wrist exercises periodically through out the day.

Ergonomics experts say most RSIS (repetitive strain injuries on steemit) result  from excessive keyboard use. Stretching every 20 to 30 minutes can keep  your upper body, hands and wrists loose, this will help prevent injuries or tension. 

I personally sit on a medicine ball at my desk, Pump it up nice and hard and you will find the results quite pleasing and comfortable . I find the simple fact that I need to balance on the ball while sitting promotes good posture and allows for small rocking movements that promote blood flow ...

5 of the best exercises for keyboarding micro breaks while seated are

1. Shoulder Blade Squeeze is performed by raising your forearms and stretching your hands to the ceiling. Push your arms back gently,  squeezing your shoulder blades together. Hold for at least 5 seconds and repeat 3 - 10 times.
2. Eye Palming is performed by placing your elbows on  your desk, you then cup your hands, close your eyes, and place your eyelids  gently down onto your palms. Hold this position for 1 - 2 minute's while breathing deeply and slowly. Then uncover your eyes slowly. I sometimes  like to hold a hot cup of coffee first and then do this one.
3. Arm and Shoulder Shake–drop your hands to your  sides then shake your relaxed hands like a Polaroid picture, allow the movement to move into your arms, and shoulders for at  least 5 seconds and repeat 3 - 10 times.
4. Spanning–place you arms straight in front of you and spread your fingers as far as possible for at least 5 seconds and repeat 5 times. This exercise was made famous by career pianists. With  the arms extended in front of you, spanning can be combined with a  forearm extensor stretch exercise.
5. Forearm Extensor Stretch, continue spanning  and extend that exercise by turning the hands so that their backs touch  then, turning them so that the palms face the ceiling (“Forearm Flexor  Stretch”).

6 hand and wrist exercises  bloggers can do anywhere

1.   Circles – Stretch  both arms outwards with fingers together and draw a imaginary circle with your  hands, rotating them at the wrist gently.  Five circles in one direction, then  five in the opposite direction. 

2.   Curls – Curling your  wrists will increase flexibility and reduce stiffness. Hold one arm outward palm facing  down. Drop the hand downward at the wrist. Using the palm of the  opposite hand, apply pressure to the back of the dropped hand. Hold  pressure for five seconds, then relax. Repeat three times for each hand. 

3.   Wrist rotation –  Rotating your wrists will increase motion range and flexibility. Begin by making a fist.  Then slowly rotate your wrists. Rotate both the fists together ten  times in the clockwise direction and ten times in the anticlockwise  direction. It is important to ensure that only your fists are rotating and the rest of  your arms are stationery.

 4.   Wrist extension  –  Hold one arm outward palm facing down.   Raise the hand up as though  you were telling someone to stop. Using the opposite hand, apply  gentle pressure to the palm of the raised hand. Hold pressure for five seconds,  then relax. Repeat for a total of three- five times per hand. 

5.   Thumb stretches –  Place your hand  in a position similar to the wrist extension, gently  apply constant pressure using the other hand to the extended thumb in a back and  downward direction. Hold for five seconds and relax. Repeat this three - five  times per hand. 

6.   Hand and finger stretch  – Stretching your fingers will lead to relaxing your hands. Begin by  making a fist. Then stretch and spread out your fingers as far out as  possible. Hold that position for a couple of minutes. Repeat this  exercise 5-10 times. 

Did you know eyeball experts recommend you look away from your screen every 20 - 30 minutes. Below is a simple and in my opinion the most beneficial and effective exercise I have found, tried and tested for my eyes.

Distance Focus: Look at your finger or a pen & then look at a distance with only one eye at a time (keep 1 eye closed)Repeat 10-30 times with each eye. Helps to improve focus.

“The Complete Hand Workout doing finger dancing” 

Thank you for visiying and wishing everyone healthy steemiting! Please feel free to leave your comments and possibly spot a up- vote if you found this information useful. Cheers