Thinking Ergonomic Will Change Your Focus From Food to Healthy Living

The word ergonomic is used to understand the positive relationship that is involved between equipment, the human and the environment in task related activities of daily life. The relationship has to be positive for you to remain comfortable and successful in performance activities, such as in sitting.

This is often difficult to accomplish when you are carrying more physical weight, than can fit into any normal- sized office chair. Obesity is not a pleasant word to use, because it doesn't explain the causes of you gaining so much weight it. The contribution is usually a consequence of multiple stresses related to family dynamics, employment and financial circumstances; that load on your shoulders, without any form of gratification or pleasure. Eating becomes your only instant gratification. I know because I have also been through it.

I can only empathize with your current situation, but warn you that your current comfort needs must change focus; from food gratification, into living an active and healthy lifestyle that you can enjoy.

At the end of the Tour de France last week, the new elite Canadian cyclist told journalists about his new standing position as one of the top elite cyclists "I never imagined this would happen, I just got better and better as each day went along".

I am not suggesting that you will compete in the Tour de France, but you will get better and better at the change as you go along. Keep a diary as you may publish this to help other people in the future. It does not mean living a life of diet and exercise as you will fail, because it conjures up dreams of misery and deprivation.

Diets are only quick fixes solutions and are not healthy. What you need is an organized healthy lifestyle change, which means getting someone else involved, like a partner, a friend or your whole family. It can become a fun activity to do together as you develop new ideas away from food that you will both enjoy.

Now let me change topics and relate a story: Last Sunday I was sitting in church on one of those uncomfortable hard wooden pews and I was looking at the neck of a very heavy woman sitting in front me. Her hair was short and she had noticeable white creases in her suntanned neck.

I wondered about these noticeable creases and then realized she was not leaning back against the hard wooden pew. Her head was down showing the creases lines from the extra fat layers around her neck. She was resting her elbows on her knees, looking at the floor and her back was totally curved. Obviously her sitting position did not look at all comfortable from my perspective.

I am relating this story, to explain that anywhere in your body where there is more extra weight; the extra padding will push your skeletal body out of alignment. Being out of alignment means that your body will never be truly comfortable, because there will be stresses and strains on your muscles and joints, by not being supported in the correct position.

Body alignment is the first thing you will need to learn, for helping your skeletal body perform correct movements. Your skeleton always remains the same, no matter what size you are; so you must understand correct balance and positioning for comfortable sitting position.

It brings me back to the need for an ergonomic chair in purposeful activity. The alterations to the chair will help develop safe movements, for performance in productive activity. This is when you learn to sit on your pelvic bones as the foundation for good posture. When you learn to sit on your pelvic bones, this is the beginning of ergonomic positioning for safe movements.

Thinking Ergonomic is your start towards beginning a new healthy lifestyle. This is not rocket science; it will be enjoyable and fun, as you learn to develop a productively active way of living that is participatory, despite any chronic condition.