chem :: corporate health events management

by Rehab Dynamics

The number of people suffering from computer related injuries is increasing. We are spending more time sitting, resulting in more hand, arm and neck disorders caused by nerve and muscle fatigue and damage.

There are four simple steps that you can take to improve your posture at work:

1. Position your computer screen at arm’s length, directly in front of you. Place your keyboard so that your forearms are approximately horizontal, with your elbows at 90 degrees.
2. Ensure that your seat has a backrest to support the curve of your lower back.
3. Keep your feet flat on the floor with your hips and knees at a comfortable angle, as close to 90 degrees as possible.
4. Take regular breaks to reverse your posture (i.e. find a position that doesn’t involve sitting!). At lunchtime try going for a walk, stretching, standing or participating in an exercise class.

Remember that good posture shouldn’t hurt: overcorrection or incorrect postural adjustment can lead to further pain.

Here are some additional tips to avoid overuse injuries:

• Keep any items that you frequently reach for within 30cms of your body
• Alternate your hand use
• Vary your tasks
• Use a telephone headset if you are talking and typing at the same time
• Ensure that your computer screen contains a readable font and is set to medium contrast and low glare
• Maintain a good level of general fitness: fit people are generally less sensitive to pain.

If you would like your workplace assessed – contact chem now on chem@chem.net.au

chem client WorleyParsons took part in Brisbane’s largest cycle challenge yesterday which included riding through the new CLEM7 Tunnel and up Mt Coot-tha.  WorleyParsons staff member, Ben Manson took third place overall in the race to climb the 2.29km hill, while another 17 members of the WorleyPeddlers participated in the event.  WorleyParsons are now gearing up for their next corporate health challenge - the Westpac Tour de Tri in May. 

See your BDO Coot-tha Challenge results and compare with others by clicking here.

Click here to read more about the Westpac Tour de Tri.

Olive or canola oil spray
1 leek, halved lengthways, sliced
500 g mixed mushrooms (e.g. button, swiss, shitake), sliced
2 cups arborio rice
1½ litres chicken or vegetable liquid stock
100 g enoki mushrooms
¼ cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
2 spring onions, thinly sliced on diagonal

Spray a large saucepan with oil and heat. Add leek and all mushrooms except enoki and cook, stirring, over medium heat for 5 minutes, until softened. Add rice and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add stock, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until liquid is almost all absorbed. Add enoki mushrooms and cheese and stir well to combine – it should look slightly creamy. Garnish with spring onion and serve with steamed greens or salad. Season to taste.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Serves: 4-6

by Ben Greenfield in Triathlon Training

Let’s face it – the task of choosing a triathlon wetsuit can be difficult enough, but once it arrives at your doorstep in all it’s rubbery glory, how should you actually begin using it? What are some changes that will be necessary to your swim stroke or pre-swim and post-swim rituals? These 10 quick tips will vastly help you prepare for using your triathlon wetsuit.

10. Don’t panic. When you first put on a triathlon wetsuit, especially if it’s a new one, you might feel a little claustrophobic and short of breath. Don’t worry…that’s completely normal. After the first few uses, it will loosen up a little bit. Excessive tightness will also be helped with the tip below.

9. Pull the sleeves and wetsuit legs far enough up your arms and legs. Too many triathletes wear a wetsuit like their sweatshirts or pants – pulled all the way down to the bottom of their wrists and the ankles. To allow for adequate freedom of rotation, pull your triathlon wetsuit about an inch or two higher than you would normal clothing, then pull that extra slack that this creates up into the shoulders and the hips.

8. Shave. Yes, this is for you guys, and maybe some of you ladies too. You’ll slide in and out of your triathlon wetsuit much easier if you don’t have all that hairy friction holding you back. Not only does this free up time for more swimming during practice and training, but your race transitions will of course be faster as well.

7. Kick Gently. Some triathletes kick too much in their triathlon wetsuits, while others drive their legs just as forcefully as if they were swimming without a wetsuit. The buoyancy of a wetsuit means that your legs float closer to the surface of the water, and a light flutter kick will propel you just fine. Don’t completely stop kicking, just give yourself a bit of gentle propulsion (from the hips, not the knees!).

6. Wear It. This triathlon wetsuit tip should go without saying, but so many triathletes still wait until the day of the race or even the race itself to actually don the mighty wetsuit, then panic or swim slowly because they just aren’t used to the feeling of the wetsuit. Instead, for at least the final 6 weeks leading up to your race, try and swim at least once a week in your wetsuit. You can wear it in the pool, but just make sure you thoroughly rinse it in fresh water afterwards.

5. Bend Your Elbows. Many triathletes put on a wetsuit and feel “stiff” in the arms. In reality, the changes in panel thickness in a triathlon wetsuit will allow you to comfortably bend your arms, and you should have a “high elbow” recovery while swimming in your wetsuit in the same way you do while swimming without one. And the stroke under your body should also have a high elbow bend, not a straight arm.

4. Swim Hard. Many triathletes go for long and easy open water swims in their triathlon wetsuit, without actually pushing themselves to “race pace” intensity. The expansion of the lungs, body heat, and increase in blood vessel size that occurs once you start swimming hard can make a wetsuit feel tight and uncomfortable. If you’re not ready for that feeling during the race, you’re more likely to panic.

3. Practice the Exit. Don’t finish a practice swim in your wetsuit and then ho-hum your way to the beach, shore or car, then take your time exiting your wetsuit. Anytime that I take my wetsuit off, I am hurriedly fumbling the same way that I do during a race, beginning the exit process as soon as my feet hit bottom and I start running upright from the water. I guarantee that practicing the triathlon wetsuit exit will vastly improve your transition times.

2. Vaseline, Body Glide, Pam Cooking Spray or Crisco. You certainly do want to lubricate your extremities with one of these options, so that you can slip in and out of your wetsuit without it “sticking” on your hands and feet, but you’ll also want to put some of that lubricant on the back of your neck, to avoid the annoying neck chafing that can occur with as little as 10 minutes of swimming.

1. Read the Instructions. Nearly all wetsuits come with specific care instructions. If you bought a used triathlon wetsuit, then you can easily find the care instructions on the internet. These instructions are not meant to be glanced at and then discarded. Rinse, clean, dry and properly fold your wetsuit after training and races, and you’ll vastly improve the life of your wetsuit!

Bike Week is Queensland’s major celebration of all things cycling and eleven thousand people enjoyed cycling for transport, recreation and fun in 2009.  Bicycle Queensland have once again added to the already successful program of events to create even more opportunity for passionate cyclists to get on their bike.

Dust off the old bike and join in the action around town!

Click here to read more.