While we often look at technology as the culprit to a sedentary lifestyle, you can also use technology and apps to help you stay healthy at work.
Sitting in a chair eight hours a day, five days a week in front of a computer can take a toll on your physical and mental health. And those who work in an office setting can attest that staying healthy at work is a big challenge, to say the least. From a lack of physical activity to eyestrain from looking at a monitor all day, long hours at a desk job can pose issues when it comes to our overall health.
Use technology to help you overcome some of the health challenges of sitting at work all day.
There are many apps available today to help you move more at work, avoid neck and back strain, and help you get a mental recharge during your workday. We’ve rounded up some of our favorites and organized them into 5 categories below.
1. Apps That Remind You to Take a Break
Working for long periods of time without taking a break can have a negative effect on us physically and mentally. Here we have apps to help you stay healthy at work by reminding you to take a break.
Awareness
Ever feel like you just need a gentle reminder to let you know how long you’ve been plugging away at the keyboard? That’s what you can expect from Awareness. This app’s non-invasiveness is what we like most.
Awareness helps you become more aware of time spent on the computer by playing the sound of a Tibetan singing bowl to mark every hour of continuous computer use. It also displays how long you’ve been using your computer without a break in the menu bar.
Awareness will never nag you or block access to your computer. When you’re ready to take your break, just take it, and the time will be reset.
Healthier: Break Reminder
Healthier sends periodic reminders to take a break from your computer. The app also provides suggested HealthierTips, which are suitable for the office setting. Exercises focus on eyes and body exercises that can be done during breaks.
Break Time
Do you tend to sit for long periods of time without breaks? Maybe you work through lunch because there’s so much work to be done. If so, then a simple app like Break Time might be the nudge you need to get up and get away from your desk. It allows you to set alerts at desired intervals to remind you to take a break from sitting. You can customize your break times and lengths, and easily swipe to reschedule breaks and disable reminders.
2. Apps That Remind You to Stand
When you sit for long periods of time at work, you are at increased risk for certain health conditions. Below are some apps to help you stay healthy at work by reminding you to stand up and move.
Move – Daily Activity to Stay Healthy
The Move app is a great way to stay reminded to stand up and move. But it also has hundreds of random workouts for you to choose from. This app gives you options to choose the interval of breaks and the length.
StandApp
StandApp includes an alarm reminder to stand and step away from the desk. Along with reminders, it includes simple exercises that can be done right there at your desk during your standing break.
3. Apps to Help Prevent Eye Strain
Not only does your body need attention to stay healthy during the day, but so do your eyes. Here we have apps to help you stay healthy at work by helping to prevent eye strain.
f.lux
Ever noticed that eerie blue light screens emit when it’s dark? Your computer doesn’t know the difference between when you’re working during the day or night; so the screen is on daytime mode round-the-clock.
But f.lux automatically adapts your computer monitor’s brightness to makes your computer screen look like the room you’re in, whether it’s day or night. This helps ease eyestrain to help you remain productice and be able to sleep better, too.
EyeLeo
This app sends you reminders to rest your eyes. It dims your screen and leads you through eye exercises every 10 minutes. It also disables the monitor for your chosen length of time to lengthen your eye breaks.
4. Apps That Help You Get a Workout at the Office
Whether you are working from home or in an office setting, you’ll want to get plenty of movement throughout the day. You might think you have to wait until after work to hit the gym, but exercising during the day is a great invesement in your health, too. Here we have apps to help you stay healthy at work by getting a quick workout at the office.
Sworkit
Every have trouble finding the perfect workout? Instead of wasting time combing through You Tube or thousands of workout sites, get a personal trainer delivered to your digital device.
With Sworkit, you get access to a variety of different workouts and exercises with personalized options to choose your time and goals. You can even create and save custom workouts.
Whether you’re a beginner or advanced, Sworkit makes it easy to stay active at work with results-focused knowledge and an engaged community.
Pocket Yoga
Pocket Yoga is like having a personal yoga instructor at your fingertips. There are numerous sessions to choose from designed by experienced yoga instructors. This app is for everyone from beginner to pro. Choose from various practices, levels of difficulty, and duration that tie in with your available time during the workday. There’s also a searchable comprehensive pose dictionary with illustrations that show you how to master each pose. This app is perfect for anyone who works in an office setting. Practice yoga wherever and whenever.
5. Apps That Help You Take a Mental Break
Working long hours can take a toll you both physically and mentally. Learning to manage stress at work is important to being productive and healthy. Focus on the health of your mind as well as your body by using these apps to help you stay healthy at work.
Luminosity
We tend to focus on taking movement breaks to keep out bodies active and healthy, but our minds need to stay healthy, too. Luminosity is a personalized brain training app that helps users increase memory, become more focused and feel sharper. It takes everyday tasks and creates fun brain games.
Headspace
This app is a meditation app that teaches meditation and mindfulness in as little as 10 minutes a day. Users can create personalized journeys through a variety of mental exercises to suit their preferences.
Managing all aspects of your health – including your health at work – is challenging enough. But technology can help. Use these apps to help you stay healthy at work.
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