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Do you regularly take breaks ?
The idea of not staying stationary too long and making sure to get numerous breaks throughout the day is not a new subject, I know, but do you actually take it seriously ? In my work I know for a fact that I am often working in 2+ hour stretches without getting up for regular breaks in between. I find that I will get in a zone and will only pause for a sip of water, which is in a container right next to my computer, so definitely not getting up in between these mini marathon sessions. Honestly, I never really took the "Take regular breaks" thing too seriously, then a message popped up on my phone's news app as a notification. The headline read "Yes, sitting too long can kill you, even if you exercise". That got my attention. I read the article, decided to make an active change and felt that it was important to share and open a dialogue. A simple thing I did was to search for some kind of non-intrusive app for my computer that would prompt me to get those regular breaks. What are your thoughts on this subject of getting those regular breaks, do you also often find yourself in a zone doing mini marathon sessions of work without getting up for several hours straight ? By the way, this is the article I mentioned for those interested in reading it: http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/11/health/si … index.html Sep 13 17 04:37 pm Link My day job is as a retoucher (and more, it's many hats) if I took one hour on an image, my career would last one hour, so I am in and out of the chair twenty to thirty times a day. At home, I would sometimes work four or five hours at a stretch, just keep going while listening to the radio and return email and stuff, thinking that was a break. Now, I've bought a little countdown timer at the Dollar Store and set it for half an hour (also a good reminder to save project). When it goes off, I save and close, walk around, get some coffee and start in again with fresh eyes, productivity is better and makes it simple for invoicing. Sep 13 17 10:21 pm Link I take breaks all the time, at least every 2 hours. You need to let your eyes breath, look at something further than your screen for a bit to get them to reset. I had a colleague who never left his desk, ended up in the hospital with blood clots inches legs. Sep 14 17 10:52 am Link Greg Curran wrote: Whoa ! That's terrible Sep 14 17 11:55 am Link MOVE!😊✔️🏃🏽 Sep 14 17 05:13 pm Link I wish i could  Sep 14 17 07:13 pm Link I read a health article this week that says if you SIT for more than 25 minutes straight without getting up or taking a break...then you will be at greater risk for future cardiovascular and other health risks. So I set my timer to 20 minutes now...and at least get up and move around or do something else for 5 minutes. Previously I could easily SIT for 1.5 hours straight without moving much or taking a break. I used to think that being sedentary was a good thing...now im beginning to hear more and more people say we humans were made and designed for movement...so get off your butt... and move... and go take a walk even. It promotes better health outcomes. Sep 14 17 09:15 pm Link Ironically, the problem of most retouchers is that they are in a permanent break. Sep 15 17 10:34 am Link Greg Curran wrote: You're still in that red zone Greg, the target seems to be every 30 min. take a break (get up and move). Sep 15 17 05:49 pm Link TMA Photo and Training wrote: This is indeed true, but with a calculated lifestyle, eating every time at specific hours, cardio and swimming every day, you can work more than 12 hours without any risks Sep 15 17 07:11 pm Link Hey Joe...yes with your work...it could take you 12 hours straight to create one of those beautiful visual stories of yours!! But after sitting for 12 hours you would end up with a flat butt...no matter how much health food you wolfed down on the way to the gym. LOL I used to pride myself that I could sit still for hours working on retouching...because I loved it so much. Since then I have made retouch training my full time job...and I sometimes get 3-5 clients in a row and im in the chair on line for hours at a time again. UUGH. But now... when im doing commercial retouching...I make sure im up and moving every 25 minutes now...instead of every hour and a half or longer. I feel so much better moving around with frequent breaks lately. It also enables me to get away from the retouch itself for a bit...and to gain a new visual perspective on the work... from Not Concentrating on the retouch for such very long periods of time. Ive even put in a timer in my work location...its the only way that I can be reminded and be blown out of my seat reliably enough. I can sense that being in a sedentary chair for many hours as a retoucher... it might possibly lead to blood pooling in my legs... and maybe even leading up to a blood clot in my legs someday. Its hard to break away from the tube... I really have to struggle to take more frequent breaks... but with this newer health focused thinking... i think it may eventually help me out a lot in the long run. Im glad for the change. Sep 15 17 08:48 pm Link Im pretty sure your work takes some time too as it looks amazing ^^, but if you manage to make an easy workout every 1 hour, this would give extra energy. I usually have about 4 projects daily and some retouching in between, this is the most i can do at top quality. Morning I swim and in some evenings i do tae-bo or aerobics. I wish i had talent for teaching, this can only be done by people with great gift and a perfect English, I missed my English lessons  Sep 16 17 03:52 am Link I especially like your idea of a swim and working out each hour. That seems like it would give you a very nice life balance. Good for you!! Maybe that heightens your capacity for visual creativity and confidence and competence too maybe... who knows... but it sure sounds like a powerful track to run on. Creativity and sweat...what a combo!! LOL Here are some of the lines in this newer "Excessive Sitting is not Healthy" study that affected me as a retoucher quite a bit: Some Quotes: The findings show that excessive sitting is bad and even worse if it is accumulated in lengthy, uninterrupted bouts throughout the day. The more we sit the worse it is. The longer the duration of sitting, the more negative the impact on our cardiovascular health. Moving around every 30 minutes is recommended. The first time we do this, the positive effects are immediate. We need to pay more attention to moving. Sedentary behavior may also play a significant role in the development of type 2 diabetes. http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/11/health/si … index.html and http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/02/health/si … index.html Sep 16 17 06:09 am Link There are various options for timers, for those interested this is a free little mac app I started using. It's free, very simple and very importantly (at least for me), none obtrusive: http://iamfutureproof.com/tools/awareness/ Sep 16 17 07:41 pm Link Great link, thank you! I usually use my fitness tracker for such but atm it is broken:-) Sep 17 17 04:22 am Link Thanks for the thread. I too get into zone and can work hours without a break. 3 - 4 hours without is nothing unusual. It is so bad with me, that I get a text on my phone, think to myself, I'll check in a minute (phone is just besides me). Then an hour or two hours later I suddenly "wake up" from retouching and suddenly remember I have a couple of texts or emails to check. I definitely need one of those gizmos to keep track of the time and force myself to do regular breaks. My eye sight is definitely getting worse. Some of it from old age, some from staring at monitors for hours without any breaks. Sep 17 17 05:33 am Link You're very welcome Joanna and Ad Alex Sep 17 17 01:20 pm Link It's easy to get glued to a chair and sit there for hours and not see mistakes esp as the human eye doesn't pick up on a correcting a color shift... force a break come back and see things in a new light. Sep 18 17 02:10 am Link |
