A wide majority of office workers are constantly looking for new products for their cubicle and exercises they do when they become fatigued with a hefty workload. For the most part, employees have a difficult time concentrating on their daily work responsibilities when their hands, wrists and backs are becoming tense and weak due to strenuous and tedious activity. These body pains are especially important for business owners to take into consideration because these minor injuries can often lead to larger problems such as stress, chronic lower back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome.

The term “ergonomic exercises” is becoming widely popular for those looking for a distraction to soothe their muscles and bones. Some office employees would say that during a busy work period, they could spend anywhere from four to a full eight hours sitting in one spot to get their work done. These prolonged postures are definitely not recommended, but are sometimes necessary to meet your company’s deadlines. In order to avoid this strenuous toll on your body, here are a few ergonomic exercises you can do to maintain your comfort level in the office.

• Take short breaks—usually one to two minutes—every 20 to 30 minutes. After each hour of work you complete, take a break when necessary from anywhere to five to ten minutes. Avoid staying at your desk during lunch and get some fresh air to stimulate your senses.
• Eye strain and fatigue can lead to intense headaches and stress so refocus your eyes when you need it and take a break to from looking at your computer screen when you become uncomfortable. Look away from the monitor and focus on something outside of your peripheral.
• Give your eyes a rest by covering them with your palms for 10 or 20 seconds to prevent eye strain.
• Try to improve your posture when your back becomes fatigued. Get up and move around when you start to feel antsy to prevent back pain.

Some opponents would say that they don’t need to get up and spend the extra minutes resting their bodies, especially when they get in the zone of deep concentration. However, it is better to take little breaks every hour rather than feeling unmotivated and burned out by the end of the afternoon.

For those that spend most of their time in the office in a computer chair, ergonomic exercise is especially important. Especially with timely tasks, employees sometimes lose track of time as to how long they have been sitting in one place. Here are some exercises one can do to maintain the well-being of their bodies while in the workplace.

• Focus your eyes to the left and right and up and down, multiple times without turning your head or neck. Then, rotate your eyes to form a circle and make sure both eyes focus together at each point. Do this five times in clockwise and counter clockwise directions to prevent eye strain.
• While breathing deeply, turn your head and neck to each side and up and down at least five times and notice any pressure or pain in either direction. Rotate your neck to form a circle while you breathe normally. Rotate to each shoulder at least five times in clockwise and counterclockwise directions to prevent neck and back pain.

Back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and eye strain can be prevented provided that you have ergonomic office accessories that can prevent injury. In the meantime, practice these ergonomic exercises to ease these types of pains from working in an office environment.