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The hidden hazards of the office job

Motivation

Compared to a job like deep-sea welding, working in an office behind a desk seems like a pretty safe career move. You might think that there's little chance for injury, but don't forget that there are still are a few dangers: Weight gain from inactivity, depleted eyesight, poor posture, and let's not forget probability of severe mid-afternoon fatigue.

Divine Caroline has some excellent rules for avoiding some of the dangers of the desk job:

  • The 20/20 Rule - Save your eyesight by looking away from your computer every 20 minutes for 20 seconds at something three feet away.
  • The Floating Mouse Rule - When moving your mouse, move your whole arm instead of just your wrist.
  • The Mini-break Rule - take a 30 to 60 second break every 30 minutes -- use this time to take a short walk or do some stretches.

They have even more excellent tips to share ... click here for more info.

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An ounce of protection for eyes

Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness

My son wears glasses and I've always worried about him when he's out playing sports. A good smack to the face and he could sustain serious eye injury. Last soccer season, I chalked up the horror movies running through my mind as unreasonable mommy-worries. (Because goodness knows I have a lot of those.) But according to this article, my fears aren't that outlandish after all.

The American Optometric Association reports that there are roughly 600,000 sports-related eye injuries each year. About 13,500 of which result in a permanent loss of sight. Eye protection is a necessary measure in high-risk sports such as baseball, basketball, and football. Other sports, such as golf, tennis, and fishing, may not seem like as big of risks, but protective measures should still be taken.

Purchase protective eye wear from a sporting goods store if you don't wear glasses vision correction. If you do wear glasses, ask your optometrist for recommendations. AOL Body has more tips on sports safety and injury prevention.

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7 reasons we eat -- hunger not included

Nutrition & Supplements

Research shows there are at least seven reasons we eat. Hunger isn't always one of them.

  • Time
  • Sight
  • Smell
  • Variety
  • Temperature
  • Refined Carbs
  • Alcohol

For the skinny on these seven, check out the following gallery.

7 reasons we eat -- hunger not included(click thumbnails to view gallery)

TimeSightSmellVarietyTemperature

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Eating with your eyes can boost nutrition intake

Nutrition & Supplements

Do you eat with your eyes? A new study says that many of us do, and that ends up helping us choose colorful (and usually, healthy) condiments for those meals.

In terms of condiments, a favorite of mine is mustard. It has virtually no calories or fat but really dresses up the taste of many foods. The sodium level has to be watched, but compared to mayonnaise or many salad dressing, it's way ahead nutrition-wise.

So, remember to dress up bland foods for the taste-picky with nutritious seasonings, sauces, garnishes and marinades. Just make sure and look at all the ingredients, as some of these products are just filled with taste enhancers and chemicals instead of actual condiments and natural ingredients.

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Love to see? Then take care of your eyes

Healthy Habits, Diet & Weight Loss

Sight is one of those most precious abilities we have, yet sadly it's one of things many people know the least about. Almost half of people surveyed said they worry more about losing their vision as they age than they do their memory or their ability to walk or hear. But at the same time only 30% of adults get their eyes checked every two years as recommended, and a whopping 79% of contact lens wearers admitted to bad habits like wearing their contacts to bed and/or wearing them longer than recommended.

What's wrong with this picture? Do you think it's because people don't know what they need to do to take care of their eyes, or just that they aren't taking it seriously?

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Braille tattoos for the blind

Diet & Weight Loss, Reviews & Products

Tattoos are an artistic expression of individuality, style, and art, and have (until now) only been appreciated by those with the gift of sight. But now, through the efforts of a student at The University of Arts Berlin, you can also make a statement that can be felt and appreciated by the blind.

By having a series of small beads or a small plate embossed with text (made of stainless steel, titanium, or plastic) implanted under the skin you can have an expressive work of art that can be appreciated through both sight and touch. It's braille for your skin!

Would you do it? I'm thinking with color maybe, without it just looks an organized group of zits.




Via Trendhunter

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Are UV contact lenses just as good as sunglasses?

Healthy Habits, Diet & Weight Loss

I wear glasses and contacts, and I remember years ago thinking it was so awesome when I got my new box of contacts and noticed the little "UV blocking" logo on the corner. So do they work just as well as UV blocking sunglasses when it comes to protecting your eyes from harmful rays? The answer is NO, contact lenses don't provide enough protection to completely substitute them for sunglasses. In studies contacts were 10% less effective than sunglasses at blocking UV rays, and even that level of protection varied greatly from contact to contact. But contact lenses do have one thing that sunglasses don't: they cover your entire pupil and protect your eyes from light from all angles, including the sides.

Bottom line: Your best bet is to wear both -- combine UV blocking contact lenses with UV blocking sunglasses for the best protection.

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Can carrots save your vision? Maybe not.

Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements

You've probably heard it all your life -- carrots are good for your eyes because of the beta carotene that gives them their bright orange color. In the past studies have shown that taking beta carotene supplements help to prevent or lessen the severity of macular degeneration -- the leading cause of blindness in people over age 65, but today there is information that beta carotene might not be helping at all. It was a big study (over 21,000 men), and it found no difference between those who took beta carotene and those who took a placebo as far as their risk for developing macular degeneration. So which information is right?

At this point doctors are just saying to eat a variety of foods to ensure a complete balance of nutrients, and in the meantime they'll continue researching.

But one question: why did they study only men?

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