Sonoma State Star

Issue date: 5/6/08 Section: Opinion

Suprisingly, sitting in front of a computer for long lengths of time can lead to serious health risks.

One may wonder if it really is a problem to be constantly connected with technology. Right now I bet you are sitting at your desk, talking or texting or emailing, or all of the above. If you are doing all of the above give yourself a pat on the back. You are able to manage the one technique many people try and fail miserably at. Don't get to happy now; I didn't say you were good at it, just that you were doing it. So does multitasking and being connected all of the time have any side effects?

If you happened to have read the Press Democrat (PD) in April you would have noticed a story on bloggers. These particular bloggers are getting paid to sit in front of a computer all day, everyday. They're there to keep sites up-to-date with the latest news and user comments. The scary, and somewhat surprising, part is that serious health related issues, some of which are life-threatening, are occurring among these men and women.

Most of us are still young; we work out and try to eat healthy. Why should we worry about death or health related issues tied to using phones or computers? The people mentioned in the PD were old right? They were in their 50's and 60's, although one was in his 40's. (I know, to some that is still considered old.)

My point is that we are next. You, me, and everyone around us is going to be affected. Although the deaths and health related issues are not linked to "always being on" one should know it's not healthy to sit and stare at a computer all day.

Sitting in front of a computer too long drives me nuts. I constantly have to get up and move around. I will even go find a spot to do some push-ups, standing crunches or calf raises, anything that will keep me active. In my perfect world, every office would be equipped with a work out room. Even if it just had a treadmill and some weights. At least it's something, and it's accessible. Maybe it would even bring down the percentage of obese men and women in America.

Michael Arrington, who was interviewed by the PD, mentioned how he gained weight, developed bad sleeping patterns, and turned his home into an "office." Can you not see that we no longer draw the line between work and home? Forget leaving your work at the office, your home is your office.

Continued...

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