I discovered that Blogging was endangering my health?
How so?....you are probably wondering!
Well.....For the last month or so, my right shoulder has been stiff and achy.....
At first I thought it was from moving all the books at work....
And then I had an AH HAH moment!
This is the work area where I do all my blogging!
Yikes!!!! There I was with my shoulder straining upwards over and over and over again!
A repetitive stress injury waiting too happen....actually a repetitive stress injury happening!
I looked like this.....with my arm in an awkward position for hours!
I should know better....for heaven's sake....I actually teach lessons about this to the kids at school. When we teach keyboarding, we stress proper posture and hand position! I was NOT following ANY of the rules....and it was becoming a REAL PAIN!
Time to PRACTICE what I PREACH!
My research led me to this information:
The symptoms or RSI include:
- Stiffness or pain in your neck, shoulders or back
- Tiredness, numbness, tingling or pain in your arms, wrists, hands or fingers
- Clumsiness or loss of strength and coordination in your hands
- Pain that wakes you up at night
- Feeling a need to massage your hands, wrists and arms
Obviously I needed a new stool....or chair....!
But I LIKE my stool....it is cute....it slides neatly under the desk....
What to DO?
Using the "Sweetwater Style" philosophy of "using what I have", I set out to solve the problem!
I had a piece of foam that was just the right size to add four inches of height to my stool! With just a little trimming it was an exact fit!
I had some batting in my "stash"....necessary to cushion my tush!
I looked through my fabric stash....and the only thing I found was OK but not quite right!
But a quick trip to the fabric store and for $7 I scored this gorgeous remnant that is a perfect coordinate for the message board!
The project was underway!
My trusty pneumatic stapler made quick work of attaching the batting over the foam!
I wasn't too picky about doing this....another tenet of Sweetwater Style....Just Do IT....it doesn't have to be PERFECT!
Just good enough!!!
I could have stopped here!
It looks pretty good....
BUT.....it still needed SOMETHING!
Then I remembered that I had some leftover nailhead trim from the "leather look" side table project!
I enlisted the help of Mr. S. because nailing the nailheads into the wood was "really" hard....
We used lots of tools and got it to work!
It doesn't hurt that Mr. S. is a lot fussier than I am when he does a project!
Besides....he is lots better with the hammer and screw driver than I am!
I still need to go to the store to get a few more tacks to finish the project....
But...I didn't want to wait to start using the taller version of the old stool!
My shoulder already feels better....
My butt likes the added cushion....
A Successful "remedy" for my blogging injury!
BUT....
Marvin is "reserving judgement"!
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3 comments:
I have achy shoulders sometimes, too! But I sit with a lap top in my lap most of the time. I'm going to try to mix it up and use the desk top more. I shouldn't sit so long at one time either! But time flies when you're having fun! I like your sweet little stool. A desk chair gives you more support for your back if you still have problems! Hugs!
Great idea, Mary. I know exactly what you mean. I am now using a laptop because sitting at the desk and blogging just did me in. At first I thought I would NEVER get the hang of a flat keyboard- now I love it. Your stool worked perfectly after adding the foam and batting...and looks cushy for your tushy! Love it...and the fabric! xo Diana
Love your work area, and the stool looks great!! At first I thought it might have been the angle you were blogging at. Sometimes when I am blogging from a weird angle I get aches and pains too!
Stopping by via the Follow Who Hop- It's nice to meet you! I am following you in the following locations, twitter, pinterest and liked your facebook page.
I would like to invite you to visit my blog - http://www.scatteredmusings.net, as well as my Facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/SMOACM
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