This lesson is entitled health. And it's all about defining health in the workplace. In order for us to be maximally successful in creating a healthy workstation, it's important to recognize health as the objective for which we are striving. Our state of ideal health occurs when we have a high functioning body that is free of illness, disease and pain. We simply can't be at our best at our jobs, or any other area of life if we are less than optimally healthy. achieving great health really lies in the optimization of stress.

You'll notice I didn't say the elimination of stress, we can tolerate and actually benefit from a small to moderate amount of stress in our daily lives. This stimulates and energizes us it's only when stress exceeds our personal threshold. It becomes problematic, and that threshold can be dynamic from one person to another and also within the same person over time. Stress comes in many forms. It can be due to poorly designed work systems, unnatural positions or activities, inefficient habits and issues with light, noise, temperature, and many other things. While we can exist in the presence of some stress, too much of it usually results in breakdown in one or more systems of our bodies.

Our goal in creating a healthy workstation is to keep stress in a Goldilocks zone, neither too much or too little that facilitates the healthiest body. And the healthiest mind as we go through this program, will emphasize the crafting of a work environment that is not overtaxing, but is at the same time invigorating. And we'll do this with basic principles that affect both our biology as well as our psychology. Our emphasis is to not only make our bodies pain free, but To create these energized, highly effective beings that are more productive at work, and contributing to a healthy, successful presence in all the areas of our lives. The key emphasis in accomplishing all of this is in the control of inflammation in our tissues. This relates to the stress load we just mentioned, when stress of practically any type becomes either too high or chronic, our bodies start to become excessively inflamed.

And this is where all that risk for pain and illness comes from. And while every stressor is important to recognize and to manage, it's the mechanical loading factors which deserve great attention at the workstation. And that's where ergonomic shines the most and, and here's how it works. Our bodies are incredibly versatile and durable, but they're not very tolerant of prolonged or awkward positions. And they're particularly sensitive toward the combination of the two as an A chronically maintained unnatural position for the human body. Let's take a quick look at a simple example.

I can bend and twist momentarily and return to my normal position. And unless I perform that movement violently or with heavy resistance, it's unlikely that such an activity would cause me to sustain an injury. But if I attempted to hold that position for hours, I'd probably have a sore back at the very least. That was an extreme example, but it's representative of how a poorly set up workstation can contribute to many things including eyestrain, neck or back pain, and various overuse injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, a variety of tendinitis conditions, and many other problems. Why poor positions are pro inflammatory, is rooted in both physics and physiology. With physics, our tissues such as the muscles and ligaments of the neck, for example, can be described using what is known as a stress strain relationship, these chronic undesirable positions, place a sustained aggravating load on the tissues.

Over time, these tissues just can't take it anymore, and they undergo strain which is often called micro tearing. And this results in a form of internal bleeding and it's inflammation. On the physiologic side of things, those same static positions don't allow for optimal circulatory exchange, they tend to wring out the tissues and impede proper blood flow. This results in less oxygen getting to the tissues, which is known as hypoxia, and a reduced removal of the natural metabolic waste products all of our cells produce even while at rest. Thus, both the overloading of the tissues without breaks and the lack of regular movement are like a double edged sword producing inflammation that leads to unnecessary pain and reduce quality of life. You've probably also heard the term repetitive motion injury.

This term is often labeled as the cause of many work related injuries, both in office as well as manufacturing applications. However, this line of thinking may be slightly flawed. Because motion in and of itself is generally good for us, it's good for our tissues, the problem usually comes into play. When that motion is performed in a restricted as not full range of motion, and work or conditioning, it could be sub optimal compared to the demands of the activity. This can lead to the concentration of loads and a restriction of circulation as we just discussed. Now, let's swing full circle in this discussion and come back around to health.

We can simplify how we want to view health with respect to our workstations. We want to manage stress, both mechanical and behavioral, to an ideal level that is below the threshold of tolerance or That which provokes inflammation for each of us. And we do that by making our work positions, actions, and behaviors more efficient and better fitting to each of our unique bodies and minds, while at the very same time, doing things such as simple exercises, and other practices to make us much more tolerant or resistant to the remaining stressors that exist. In one sentence, we will employ ergonomics to optimize stress to minimize inflammation, and maximize health. That's the secret to the healthy workstation. I realized this discussion was a bit sciency.

But I felt it was quite necessary to establish the understanding of these mechanisms as we move forward. I'm certain you'll appreciate how this concept applies to the specific areas we'll be discussing. The upcoming lessons are much more casual and lab oriented. And I think you'll find them both informative. entertaining