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Sep 09 2015
Corinne McKay

Taking care of your body when you work at a computer all day

The reality of a translator’s work day is that most of it is spent at the computer. This falls into the “great” category in terms of location-independence and the ability to work from nearly anywhere with a reliable Internet connection. But it falls into the “not great” category in terms of the effect on one’s eyes, hands, spine, and overall health. Here are a few suggestions for mitigating the damage, and feel free to add your own in the comments!

Think about your desk setup
In 13 years of freelancing, I’ve tried various setups; standard desk with a standard chair, standard desk with a yoga ball, a treadmill desk, and now a standing-height desk with a high stool. I do think that being able to change your position is important; if you want to see a sit-stand desk in action, you can check out this video interview with Karen Tkaczyk, who uses an Ikea Bekant motorized multi-position desk.

All of these desk setups have their pluses and minuses: I like sitting on a yoga ball because you can’t slouch (or you fall off the ball…) and you can’t sit with your legs crossed, unless you have unusually good balance on one leg. Treadmill desks are excellent for your health, but can be loud and large, and can also leave you feeling just exercised enough that you don’t feel motivated to do more vigorous exercise when you’re not working.

At my co-working office, we have Ikea Linnmon trestle desks, which look like this:
linnmon-finnvard-table-white__0209291_PE362856_S4
They’re an interesting solution because they allow you to change from sitting to standing by using a high chair or stool, rather than by changing the desk height. I use a wooden stool as a desk chair, which a) prevents slouching since there’s no back, and b) is just uncomfortable enough that I have to walk around or stand up regularly, which I like. If I had a Herman Miller Aeron, I might never get up again, whereas the wooden stool kind of forces me into activity.

Think about your hands and eyes

As translators, we type *a lot*. Unless you use speech recognition software, your fingers are working overtime, so make sure you have a really good keyboard. I am an evangelist for Unicomp keyboards; I have the classic buckling spring model at home, but it’s so loud that I purchased the quiet touch model for my office (it’s still pretty loud compared to something like an Apple keyboard, but it’s doable). Using the Unicomp keyboards, I have had zero repetitive strain problems in 13 years of translating, so I think they’re well worth it.

If you have a laptop as your primary work computer, invest in a good-quality, large monitor so that you’re not squinting at a little screen. And look at some basic ergonomic guidelines when you set everything up in your office: adjust the monitor so that your head is in a neutral/level position when you look at the center of the screen, and place the monitor so that your fingertips just touch the screen if you reach your arm out straight in your normal sitting/standing position.

Make exercising a habit
I once told an audience of freelancers, “Do something physical for at least an hour a day.” To which someone in the audience responded, “That sounds kind of X-rated, don’t you think?” I’m not going to judge your choice of physical activity, but I’ll give you my doctor’s advice: if you are completely sedentary at work, you have to consider an hour of exercise as part of your work day. I know…you don’t have time, you hate Jazzercise, and so on. Here’s how I do it: I consider a gym membership to be a business expense. I mean, in the IRS’ mind, and thus on my actual taxes, it’s not a business expense. But in my own mind, it’s a cost of doing business in a job that I love, but in which I do a lot of sitting on my tail. I deliberately sought out a gym that is a five-minute walk from my office, and that offers “lunchtime express” exercise classes. The class varies by the day: one day it’s power yoga, one day it’s TRX, one day it’s kettlebells. Honestly, I don’t even look at what the class is: I just go on the gym website and sign up, and that’s my lunch break. The gym is so close that I can change clothes, walk there, do the class, take a quick shower, change, walk back, and be back at my desk in about an hour and fifteen minutes. Maybe there’s not a gym right near you, or maybe you loathe the thought of group exercise classes, or whatever, but if you are at all avoidant about exercising, you need to find a “hook” that forces you to keep up with it.

If you work at home, you can try all kinds of little tricks to force yourself to exercise: when your phone rings, stand up before you answer it, and walk around while you talk on the phone. Keep a set of dumbbells on your desk, and lift them while you’re listening to a webinar. Set a timer and work for 50 minutes, then “work out” for 10 minutes by doing jumping jacks, squats, or running in place in your office.

I’m sure you have some great tips on freelance health, so let’s hear them!

Written by Corinne McKay · Categorized: Freelancing · Tagged: freelance health, healthy freelancer, sit-stand desk, standing desk

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lucy says

    September 9, 2015 at 8:07 am

    If the weather is nice I try and fit in a jog at lunchtime 2 to 3 times a week. There are some great workout videos on youtube for rainy days. I also go to salsa classes twice a week in the evening – great exercise and a good way to make new friends.
    As for ergonomics, I currently have my laptop perched on top of some dictionaries to elevate it, because I kept getting a stiff neck. This solution is working for the time being, but I plan to invest in a better solution ASAP!

    Reply
  2. Aurélie Gobet says

    September 9, 2015 at 8:15 am

    I couldn’t agree more Corinne! I’ve been working on an Ikea sit-stand desk for a couple of months now (http://www.ikea.com/fr/fr/catalog/products/S49084965/) and I love it! And this particular desk from Ikea is affordable (€ 199).
    I usually stand in the morning and sit in the afternoon, especially after lunch… I can also chose my position depending on the task. If I have to type a lot, I’d rather stand but if I have to read a long text, I’ll sit.

    I work on a laptop but I have an additional monitor. I put it on a box so that it stands above my laptop’s screeen. It’s great to have two screens, one above the other when I have to compare an English text with its French translation. I also like to translate on one screen and do my Internet search on the other.

    I do some exercise at lunch time but not everyday. I still have to make a little effort on this!

    Reply
  3. hannahtkeet says

    September 9, 2015 at 8:17 am

    Great article, Corinne! For exercises in the office during work breaks, I recommend The Sitting Solution, a page on Facebook that regularly posts videos with different stretches and exercises.

    Reply
  4. 2015ttstart says

    September 9, 2015 at 1:47 pm

    Thanks for this post and the picture of the Ikea desk, Corinne. I love that desk’s vibe.

    The latest tips I’ve read and heard about recommend getting up once an hour to move about. Lately though for translating I work in hour and a half increments. I get up at the end of a session and try to fit in bathroom breaks, laundry, eating, gardening, etc. I remember Judy Jenner saying that doing just 10 minutes of jumping jacks or tuck jumps really is exhausting and she’s right! In ten minutes you can get your heart pumping hard.

    Reply
  5. Vatslav Yehurnov says

    September 9, 2015 at 4:15 pm

    There are two more ways to keep yourself active. The first one is a 1,000,000 Miles Challenge started this year by the European translators. You can join it in the Endomondo app. And another one is the multiplayer mobile game Ingress. You have to walk a lot to play it, and it’s tons of fun and interaction with the world as well. Keep the enlightenment side if you decide to play!

    Reply
  6. Joshua says

    September 9, 2015 at 6:39 pm

    I like the idea of working out for 10 minutes after 50 minutes of work, since I have been using a timer a lot lately to overcome distraction problems, with a very similar work-time/leisure-time ratio.

    Also, does anyone know how much being glued to the computer all day affects eyesight? I’ve been concerned about this lately and I want to know if there is anything I should be doing to avoid killing my eyes (i.e., maintaining a certain level of ambient light and/or screen light, resting my eyes for a certain number of minutes every hour, etc.).

    Reply
  7. Jonathan Beagley says

    September 10, 2015 at 9:01 am

    What a coincidence! I’ve actually been having shoulder/neck pain recently from working too much on the computer and have had to do a bit of physio, but the main thing I’ve learned is about the necessity of taking regular breaks, both normal ones and “micropauses”.

    I’ve been using a programming for Mac called Time Out. It’s free, but you can set it up make you to take regular breaks whenever you want. You can skip them, of course, but the regular reminders are really all I need.

    Reply
  8. Carmen says

    September 10, 2015 at 9:09 am

    Thanks for this article Corinne – loads of great points!

    I recently bought a Fitbit because I realised that I needed to move more. I’ve been working from home full-time for over a year now and a few months ago I decided that I needed to get more active. Having a reminder on my wrist that I need to get out of the house has helped a lot – I’m around three times more active than I was before I got the Fitbit and I really feel it.

    I’ve also started running – I used to make excuses and tell myself I was too busy for exercise, but once I started making time for it I started seeing it as an important part of my working day.

    Reply
  9. Conni says

    September 11, 2015 at 11:11 am

    This post basically sums up my whole ethos on work & life. I wouldn’t be able to do my job if I didn’t keep fit and look after myself. Exercise is a priority. I’ve tried getting up in the morning and going straight to my desk, but it’s only made me feel groggy, and led to a very unproductive day. When I got up, went to the gym or went running, THEN sat down at my desk, I was more productive in a shorter space of time, simply because I felt better having done some exercise first. I absolutely love what you said: “consider a gym membership a business expense”. This is a brilliant way to look at it. Thank you for such a great post! 🙂 Conni

    Reply
  10. Delfina says

    September 14, 2015 at 12:01 pm

    Hi, Corinne! I’ve been considering the issue of health vs. freelancing ever since I started. What I started doing this year, is monitor the amount of time I sit at the PC without moving (trying to stick to the 50/60-minute string) and then I look for three or four video clips on YouTube from certain artists to play while I dance to them. For instance, I highly recommend the Pet Shop Boys “Se A Vide E” live versions. Or “You’re my heart, you’re my soul” by Modern Talking. Or “Take On Me” by A-ha. Or “Borther Louie”, by Modern T. again. What’s great about these songs and their remix is that they have something that will get you moving even if you are not a professional dancer. The 80s offer great disco dancing songs as well. As a fan of all these has-beens, I feel I have certainly found the right kind of pause as a freelancer. Not only does it lift me from my seat, it also lifts my spirits, sets my pulses rising, sometimes makes me sweat a little and forces me to change clothes, all things that can drag you out of the PC–with a little bit of music, routine can be somewhat altered to include exercise in between sitting hours!

    Reply
  11. Jean-Christophe Helary says

    September 14, 2015 at 1:31 pm

    The pomodoro technique is excellent to 1) stay focused and 2) keep moving.
    30 minutes work sessions interspaced with 5 minutes breaks where you do whatever you like *except* sitting in front of the computer. That includes doing a few pushups (even only 2-3), or stretching a bit, anything.

    Of course, the body still needs more than that, but that’s a huge lot more than just sitting forever at the desk.

    During the day, take the time to walk around the block, make it a brisk walk where you feel your heart rate raise above your “normal”. Here again 5-10 minutes is enough.

    Last but not least, grouping all those breaks into a 2-3 hours intensive workout session will *not* produce the same effect. Far from that.

    Reply
  12. Berit says

    September 15, 2015 at 6:24 am

    Thank you so much for this excellent article Corinne! Exactly what I needed to wake up again and get off my bum. I tend to get too absorbed in work and all the other things that a freelancer has to do (taxes, marketing etc. etc. and admittedly, reading all those interesting blog articles!), I literally can totally forget about moving around at all. I already started a new routine to make a point of getting up once every hour and do some sort of exercise like squats, burpees, stretches or the likes, even just for a couple of minutes. After work there is more time again to move proper.

    I like the idea of Mac’s time out, the only thing with that is (in my opinion), that when you don’t work for 10 minutes out of every hour, your work day is getting stretched out considerably as you have to add on the ‘break time’ to the end of the day… But I will think about using it as a reminder to just get up and do something.

    Reply
    • Jonathan Beagley says

      October 16, 2015 at 12:01 am

      Berit, I just thought I should mention that you can actually change the settings on TimeOut so that you don’t have to take a 10 minute break every hour. If you’d prefer, you can set your longer break to be whatever you want–1 minute, 2 minutes, etc.

      Reply
  13. Michael says

    October 15, 2015 at 3:23 pm

    Hello Corin,

    thank you for your great article and for sharing your story with us. To be honest, I have been just considering if I shall stop by to a gym on my way home or not and found this post.

    Now I am going to turn off my computer and go do some (easy) training 😉

    Kind regards,
    Michael

    Reply

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