Fitness/Exercise Tips

clickhappier

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Wrist/Forearm Exercises
Very important!

When people's wrists feel sore, they often go straight to thinking "carpal tunnel syndrome" (CTS)... it's become the cultural 'generic' of wrist/forearm issues in people's minds. But this is often not what your issue really is - studies indicate true CTS has minimal connection to computer use - and it's not about normal pain/achyness/soreness. "CTS can cause numbness or tingling in the hand, or feelings similar to electrical shock in the thumb, index finger and middle finger."
More info:
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Myths, Facts, Diagnosis, and Treatment
Workplace myth? Carpal tunnel syndrome from computer use unlikely, experts claim
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: It's Time to Explode the Myth
Medical Myths: Computer Use and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

When you feel soreness that seems to be in the area of your wrists, it's often really 'referred' pain from the extensor/flexor muscles further back on your forearms that control the movement in that area (there's minimal muscle actually in the wrist area). There's a bunch of good stretches/exercises you can do to help with that (and they may help prevent real CTS too)! Massaging the forearms in various ways also helps.

An image of a few such exercises someone shared in a recent daily thread:


Some links I bookmarked a while back for more wrist/forearm stretches/exercises/tips:
Arme wrist roller by Crown Fitness - rehab carpal tunnel syndrome - build stonger wrists, forearms, shoulders (I like this article, about the applicability of a widely-available type of exercise equipment to these kinds of problems, but unfortunately the site went down a while back, and the Internet Archive copy is being unreliable about displaying currently, so here is a screenshot I put together from the PDF I'd saved.)
How to Keep Your Elbows, Forearms, and Wrists Healthy
injury - What exercises can I do to recover my left hand's grip strength? - Physical Fitness Stack Exchange
weightlifting - How to strengthen my wrists? - Physical Fitness Stack Exchange
I’ve Got To Hand It To You (Part 4) | CrossFit Virtuosity
RossTraining.com - Training The Hands
Shedding Bikes: Common Programmer Health Problems (also covers some other health topics)

Here's a few other links from Deb:eek:
3 Wrist Exercises to Prevent Carpal Tunnel
Stretching Exercises to Help Prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Exercises

A video suggested by bordot:
Hand + Wrist Exercises For Gamers - YouTube
(There's a bunch of other videos out there too, of course; can see some of 'em in the Related Videos sidebar or autoplay, when you watch that one.)
 

clickhappier

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This is an article I came across a while back that has a bunch of creative simple ideas, perhaps a few of them will be right for you:
The 25 easy resolutions to transform your health

"Making major lifestyle changes your New Year's resolutions is all well and good - if you manage to stick to them. ... It might be better to think small, as tiny modifications are easier to achieve. And if a healthy action becomes habit, it could last a lifetime. Here are 25 easy resolutions that could keep you fighting fit for years to come..."​

This one in particular is really good, I do this a lot (once you get good at it, try one leg at a time):

" Stop using armrests to get out of a chair

This will strengthen your muscles and help protect you against falls in later years. Place your feet firmly on the floor, tighten your stomach muscles, clench your buttocks and ease yourself slowly up to a standing position without using your hands for support.

Each lift equates to a squat - the perfect exercise to tone the major muscles in the thighs and buttocks. Double the effect by also lowering yourself into every chair without using your hands. This is the single most effective muscle-strengthening exercise of all, says Darren Chandler, an orthopaedic therapy consultant. 'It keeps stability in the hips and surrounding muscle.' "​

And another good desk exercise prompt idea... make it PM/scraper/TM dings for turkers? :wink:

" Do the email stomach crunch

Let the ping of every received email or text be the trigger to tighten your tummy muscles and raise both feet off the floor for a few seconds.
This simple activity works the lower stomach muscles, vital for protecting the back from damage and easing back strain. "​

And from the sidebar-ish section at the bottom about willpower... very applicable:

" Another trick [to improve willpower] is to take short and simple exercise. A study performed at the University of Exeter, two years ago, set out to discover what might help people to resist the temptation of fattening foods.

The investigators asked volunteers either to rest for 15 minutes or to spend the time going for a walk. They were then all asked to perform a series of dull but demanding computer tasks. Next to their keyboards was positioned a bowl of chocolates.

At the end of the test, the researchers reported in the journal Appetite that the volunteers who had gone for a walk ate half as much chocolate as those who had simply rested. The researchers believe that light exercise energises people sufficiently to revive their brains' flagging resources and thus bolster their will power. "​
 

Pippa

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I am a big fan of the couch to 5k program.

I started running 4 years ago and this was the program I started with. When I began I wasn't about to run a minute without getting out of breath and needing to walk. I now run any where from 4-6 miles 3-4 days a week easily. This program gets you running 3miles in about 2 months.

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
 

megisomeso

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I'm a big fan of pilates, and Blogilates is my new addiction :)

Also, YES. STRETCH YOUR HANDS AND ARMS. I've been dealing with carpal tunnel for two and a half years now, and it's awful. Also, wrist pads and a good desk chair are your friend.
 

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This is actually a good idea and im super anti exercise but i might try this. I need something besides jumping jacks...5 kids, bladder sucks. I need depends if i plan on jumping
 
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Cara

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i made it over the weekend so i tested it out on days i was only doing 50-90 hits.
yesterday i did 200 hits and broke up the jumping jacks into smaller intervals, so that helped.
but on a 1,000 plus hit day? there's NO WAY i'm doing that many!
in any case, edit it how you see fit!
 
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clickhappier

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Awesome idea, Cara @Eri! :)

This is actually a good idea and im super anti exercise but i might try this. I need something besides jumping jacks...5 kids, bladder sucks. I need depends if i plan on jumping
You could do a low-impact (non-jumping) version of jumping jacks! :)
 
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Tigerpants

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Not necessarily fitness in itself, but more preventing pain and injury when you spend long hours turking, or just at a computer at all. When I'm not turking I'm crocheting, knitting, or doing other things with my hands, so I thought I'd share my tips.


  1. I know it says for gamers but it's the same thing, you're typing, moving a mouse, and working your fingers and joins repetitively.
  2. At the very least, get up and move around once an hour, even if it's just to look in the fridge and see if pizza magically appeared.
  3. If you're prone to experience pain, take an ibuprofen or other anti-inflammatory regularly (I only take 200mg a day.) I have radial tunnel syndrome (Like carpal, but in the elbow) due to an injury, and this has helped so much on the pain front. I take them regularly because pain relievers work best when you take them before it hurts.
  4. Back Pain! Start consciously sitting with a straight back NOW! Yes it sucks, yes it's uncomfortable, but eventually your back muscles and spine will strengthen and 60-70 year old you will thank present you.
  5. I haven't personally tried it but consider getting an exercise ball to sit on instead of a desk chair, strengthen your core, legs, and back by forcing yourself to balance. It's on my wishlist, I'll probably start by using it for 30 mins a day, then increase as my tolerance goes up.
I need more posture tips plz, my posture is garbage.
 
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Maria Tortilla

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I'm seeing all these exercise/get healthy threads on here which is awesome. But is there a thread for healthy recipes, tips, tricks, etc.? Or should I start one?
 
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Lepi

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I'm seeing all these exercise/get healthy threads on here which is awesome. But is there a thread for healthy recipes, tips, tricks, etc.? Or should I start one?
There's a general food thread but I don't think there's one just for stuff that's actually GOOD for you.
 
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