As Charlie wrote about earlier today, transportation is a big source of greenhouse gas emissions. The fact that you and I don’t have to commute to work every day already helps in terms of limiting carbon emissions, and it’s something we can feel really good about!
But most of us probably still do more driving than we really have to. I’m from California, the U.S. state with the most cars per capita. Driving is what we Californians do (as you may remember from the movie L.A. Story). It often can’t be helped, given how spread out everything is there.
My simple suggestion, with this post, is that you should try to walk more. Take advantage of the fact that you’re not tied to a desk and a schedule, that nobody’s checking how long your lunch hours are. We can often take the time to actually walk to the grocery store when there’s no rush-hour mob scene, and smell the roses along the way. It’s good for body, soul and planet.
How walkable is your neighborhood? I recently stumbled on Walk Score, a cool site that ranks 2,508 neighborhoods in the 40 largest U.S. cities for walkability. I plugged in my old address to test it: Read the rest of this entry »
Web working seems to blur the lines separating our professional and family lives. If you work from home, it’s common to find yourself switching back and forth from work to household tasks throughout the day. This isn’t an issue if your only problem with work-home balance is a growing pile of dirty laundry. But if you’re not eating well, your work tends to suffer. When that happens, you might be forced to exert some extra effort at work, which gives you less time to cook — turning into a vicious cycle.
The good news is that there are ways to break that cycle.
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The only reason I don’t have a dog yet is the prospect of morning walks in Paris winters. But I’ve survived three of those now, and have decided I’m going to get the dog anyway. So I’ve been trolling local animal shelter sites regularly. I thought I’d found one last week, but somebody beat me to him. The search goes on.
This is not only about my wanting a dog; it’s more about the lifestyle changes and bad habits that can gradually take hold when you start working from home, if you’re not careful. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s a familiar scenario for web workers — you’re desperately trying to get through your work before the end of the day but by mid-afternoon you’re feeling lethargic, low on energy and craving a snack to help you get through the afternoon. Sugary snacks and junk food will give you a quick short-term boost but will lead to a crash just as quickly. I like to keep some healthy snacks within easy reach of my desk so I don’t get tempted to satisfy my cravings with sugar.
Here are five of the healthy snacks that I like to eat to help me get through the mid-afternoon slump. Read the rest of this entry »
In my post on whether coworking spaces could be profitable, I mentioned Graze, an innovative healthy snack delivery service that seems to be taking off here in the UK.
Many web workers are fixed to their desks for large portions of the day. Working from home means physical inactivity and snacking can make maintaining a healthy lifestyle a struggle.
Nutrition for knowledge workers is an interesting area that I feel hasn’t been given much attention, so Graze comes along at the right time.
Graze is best described as a “snack subscription,” a little like Netflix, but with snack boxes, rather than DVDs, arriving in the mail. So how does it work? Read the rest of this entry »
The U.K. press is reporting this morning that online networking may be damaging to your health. A few articles, including a particularly sensationalist piece by the Daily Mail, “How using Facebook could raise your risk of cancer,” are reporting the latest findings from every luddite’s favorite researcher. According to an article written by Dr. Aric Sigman (author of the book, “Remotely Controlled: How Television Is Damaging Our Lives”) and published in The Biologist, the journal of the Institute of Biology, increased online networking may have biological impacts. Dr. Sigman is concerned that social networks like Facebook are displacing face-to-face contact. He claims that reduced face-to-face contact could, among other things, lead to a change in the way genes work, alter hormone levels and affect the functioning of arteries. These changes could increase the risk of serious health problems including cancer, strokes and heart disease.
As web workers we spend a lot of time online using social networks, but is it potentially damaging our health?
I’m skeptical. While I believe spending excessive time online and stuck in front of my computer with no breaks might cause health problems (in particular a lack of exercise, raised risk of RSI, and back problems), I think I’ll wait to see some more concrete evidence before altering my working habits significantly.
Do you think that online networking could be hazardous to health? Share your thoughts in the comments.
When our grandparents said that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, they were referring to the fruit, not the computer. But it’s not far-fetched that the same thing could be said about teleworking. By opting to telework, employees and freelancers have a better chance of keeping themselves physically healthy.
How does this happen and to what extent is it valid?
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If your New Year’s Resolution to get fit is still under construction 21 days later, here’s a quick set of Web 2.0 sites combining social networking, online record keeping and solid health and fitness information for your consideration.
Note – If it has been years since you’ve last worked out, and years since you’ve had a medical checkup, I’d strongly suggest you bookmark this post, get a physical, and then come back.
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Web Work 101: How To Escape The Cubicle
