3+ Tips to Improve your Workspace and Posture While Working at Home

Tips to improve your workspace and posture at home, by Dr Cristina Padilla, Chiropractor, Owner at Thrive Family Chiropractic, a house call chiropractic practice serving the NE Florida region.

Are you one of the thousands of employees or business owners who has been forced to work remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic? Chances are, you never thought this would be a long-term practice you needed to adapt and prepare for, right? I certainly wasn’t.

Most of us don’t have a dedicated office in our homes, because we never had to work from home for longer than a few hours here and there or maybe just to meet a deadline or project occasionally. Personally, I have been spending a lot of extra hours on Zoom calls and meetings as well as helping patients virtually. And my back and neck are feeling it. The irony of being  a Chiropractor …? I can’t adjust myself!

The most common complaints I have been getting from practice members these last few weeks have been: increase in headaches, neck and low back pain and stiffness. Why? They are working out of their couch, bed, dining room table, kitchen counter. They don’t have their nice and comfortable desk chairs and their workstations at home are less than ideal. Not only is this physically a problem, but ask your significant other to take a photo of what you look like while “in the zone”, working from home? Chances are you are hunched forward, your chair doesn’t have any back support and you are looking down way more than you should.

Not only is posture affected by these “new workspaces” but these changes in ergonomics can also lead to increase in headaches, trouble focusing and decrease in physical activity, all damaging to your body and health.

So here are a few tips to help improve your workstation and relieve some of the tension in your spine. As always, a visit to the Chiropractor (virtual if you would like) is highly encouraged to provide you with a long term plan to improve posture and overall health.

  1. Couches are for slouchers. Yes. I know. But someone had to tell you! Couches are made for comfort, not with good posture in mind. Most of them are soft and deep and they do nothing good for your spine when you are on episode 4 of Tiger King or at the Monday morning team meeting (wearing sweatpants …isn’t it wonderful!?)


In the absence of a desk chair, the ideal would be an inflatable exercise ball (this is the one I got, with a base and even workout bands! *non paid advertising* https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CTLNYVV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 )

Another option is a sturdy chair, like a dining room chair, that has padding for you to sit on. For this, you may want to use a decorative pillow to support your low back or order a lumbar support pillow online. These are pretty inexpensive.

The bed and couch are the worst options because not only do they not provide good support, you have no way of keeping your workstation at eye level (more on this below) unless you have a portable desk that props up to keep your screen and devices at eye level as well as your keyboard and/or mouse as close to your body as possible.

  • Movement is life. Movement is important to increase bloodflow to your arms, legs and to get your heart rate up throughout the day. While there are a number of gyms and personal trainers providing free or inexpensive online workouts (North Jax Crossfit is my go to!), a lot of people may not be as inclined to exercise at home, because they don’t have equipment, they get lazy, they don’t have a partner to workout with … you name it, I’ve done it.

Two things that have worked well for me:

First, set up a simple workout station in an area that I tend to walk by a lot. I recently decided to put a yoga mat in my bedroom and I have been following a challenge in April of doing 50 burpees a day (I’m gonna be super honest…it’s not happening every day. But it’s happening a lot more than before – and it only really takes a few minutes! If you try it, post on social media and tag me @jaxmobilechiropractor )

Secondly, set up a timer for 5 minutes an hour of stretching and movement. Whether it is walking a few laps around the house, doing a few Sun Salutations (great stretch and easy to do!) or to do a few squats and jumping jacks – there is a lot of research supporting these can help boost your energy and give you focus! 

  • Water challenge. While you are up, go get a water refill. I try to use the largest glass or tumbler I have and every time I complete a task, a video call or the end of the hour, I make a point to finish my water and pour some more. Remember, you should be drinking half your body weight in ounces of water a day – more if you are an avid coffee drinker like me. For every cup of coffee, add one cup of water! Make your water fun – berries, lime, lemons, oranges, cucumbers are refreshing ways to make water fun!!! I am currently obsessed with Arbonne’s Hydration tea (chamomile and other herbs, no caffeine!). Email me if you would like some samples!

I hope these tips are easy for you to implement to your daily routine. I have created a short exercise and stretching program specific to reverse the long hours of sitting at a desk, along with an article from Physitrack that exapands on how to evaluate if your workspace is ideal for you and your posture.

If you would like a digital copy of these or to schedule a complimentary ergonomic evaluation, please email thrivefamilychiro@yahoo.com or contact me via Facebook or Instagram at @jaxmobilechiropractor . Let’s Thrive!

Jax Thrive Mobile Chiropractor Corporate photography

Bored? 20+ Games You Should Buy Right Now!

Being in quarantine we are playing some games, mostly on the phone, BUT we own A LOT of games. We like to camp and go on group vacations with friends. It can be hard to pick out games, I mean, there are TONS, so here are some recommendations from our household to yours.

Let me know on facebook your favorites or any that we missed and should try:

ALL AGES

Spot It— This game, no joke, is great for the youngest in your group to the oldest. I often pack it with me on family trips. We played it last summer with my son who was 4 at the time and my great aunt who is maybe 80.

It sounds crazy, but there are a set of pictures on each card and not every card has the same set of pictures, but they each have ONE image that matches. Your job is to be the first to find the match. I swear, sometimes I feel like there’s no way something matches, but there is! Great game, easy and quick to learn, not much to set up. Highly recommend it.

There are different themes too, like camping or Disney.

This one is good for most ages. The kids seem to really like it. I play it with them sometimes.

Other Card Games

Phase 10 is a go to game in our house. It’s like Rummy, I’m told (I’ve never actually played Rummy!). You have to make sets, etc, and each round is different. My 9yo likes to play this one with us.

I haven’t tried Snappy Dresser, but this 3 pack of games is a good deal and includes Uno!

Apples to Apples Type Game Play

Apples to Apples is a classic game. One person is the judge and they read a card, like “Next best thing since sliced bread” and every person has to give a card with their answer. The judge than picks their favorite answer.

This type of game may sound vaguely familiar to adults. Cards Against Humanity plays off this same idea. If you want a truly vulgar, 18+ politically incorrect game, CAH as it’s commonly known, would be my suggestion. Don’t forget add on packs for even more fun. I like the blank cards so you can add your own!

But, if you want something similar, but the kids want a good laugh too, try this one: Kids Against Maturity.

Domino Style Games

Qwirkle is a popular game in our house. It can be super tricky. you have to match the color or shape and you can’t duplicate in a row.

They have a new travel version and a new Qwirkle Cubes we haven’t tried yet.

We bought this one and we haven’t completely figured it out, but my daughter def. likes it.

Super Silly Games

This one is super popular online. We have one like this and haven’t gotten around to playing it yet!

We’ve only played Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza once. It’s a group memory game. You have to say the right word in the right order if you want to win. It’s harder than you would think.

Face Off. This one currently isn’t available on Amazon, as of my writing this, but this one is GREAT for groups. We have used it at home and with our Girl Scout gatherings. I would say ages 7+ would be best.

Word Games

If you like Scrabble or Words With Friends, I recommend Quiddler. It has rounds, kind of like Phase 10 (see other card games section). You can play a game in 15-30 minutes, depending on how many people are with you. I haven’t played it with my 9yo yet, but I think she could do it with some help.

Solo Play

Kanoodle is like a puzzle. My 9yo likes it. I bought it after seeing teachers request it.

Other Highly Rated Games

It took us a little bit to figure this one out, but once you do, it is a great game for the older crowd especially. If you have adults in your group who love to compete in Monopoly, THIS is the game for them. They even have different versions like a Game of Thrones one!

We bought Ticket To Ride from Target on like a Black Friday deal. We’ve broken it out once but haven’t completely played it yet. One of my friends said her family loves it and it’s like Monopoly but with trains. They do have MANY different options for this one, like individual country ones. There’s also a version for younger kids, called First Journey.

This next one, looks REALLY interesting an is actually cheaper and you can play with Alexa!!

If you like Connect 4, Santorini is like a 3D version. My daughter and I sometimes play this one. It’s a bit more complex than Connect 4 though. So I would say 8+ for this one.

Game Night In a Can. We bought this for a big family get together. We ended up not using it for that, but the girl scouts did and they loved it. I would recommend this for a business that is doing team building and scouts type stuff. Note: The can has changed and I’m not sure if they added new stuff to it, but it might be even better now?!

A Bit Harder

So, I bought this game about a year ago and it may hit too close to home for you right now, but that’s ok! If you have anyone who REALLY likes hard strategy games, this might be the one for them. Honestly, we brought this on vacation with our friends, and the guys were youtubing videos on how to play this and we still had deep discussions on what was the right way to do it. It is a highly rated game though. A bit too much for our house though!

In conclusion

I know that’s a lot of games, but we actually own MANY MORE than what I listed!!!! It’s crazy.

The games we usually bring with us on trips are: Spot it, Phase 10, Catan, and Quirkle.

When Christy Whitehead isn’t writing about all her crazy board games, she owns Christy Whitehead Photography, a studio in Jacksonville, Fl. She specializes in maternity, newborn, families, cake smashes and corporate work.

+Please note these may be affiliate links and we may make a little bit of money when you click on one to buy! Please let us know how you liked the games or if you have any new ones we should try!

Making Masks, Tips, Supplies & Other Useful Stuff

Since the studio is temporarily closed because of quarantine, I’ve been doing a lot of sewing. Mostly masks-for myself, my family, the medical community and anyone who has asked.

I’ve also been getting asked what templates I used, so I figured I’d make a blog post to share everything I’ve found about mask making in one blog.

But before I get into all the mask making info, here are some local groups you can join, donate too, help, buy from, etc:

Give Back

The Coding Sharks School, in Jax, needs donations to make shields for medical workers.

Feed the medical community www.FeedTheFrontLineNEFL.org

We have a group for the 904 area where medical personnel post their needs and also mask makers come to sell or donate masks. You can join it on Facebook here.

Another group you might be interested in is Jax Help for Healthcare.

Fabric:

Cotton fabric–many use the fleece on the mouth side for comfort.

You can pick up fabric at Joann‘s (order online and they’ll deliver it to your car. ALSO, if you go in, they were giving away a free mask making kit, one for each customer. It should make 2-4 masks). Download their app on your phone for coupons.

Fabric.com is another good one, but because of COVID they are limiting the types of things you can purchase, so the cheaper fabric is sometimes not available. Scroll to the bottom of their page and sign up for their newsletter to get 10% off.

Spoonflower is kind of like Etsy but for fabric. You’ll find some fun ones there.

This material is supposed to be better than N95: Haylard H-600 2 ply

You can see a video about it here:

Elastic

The local stores seem to be running quite short on elastic. You can buy flat or round elastic.

Flat elastic holds better for sewing and you don’t have to knot the ends, the down side is, it probably bothers ears more and you want to make sure you lay it correctly while sewing so it lays flat in use.

The round skinny elastic is what I bought and what I use. I figured it would be better for wearing. The only downside I’ve found is I have to tie the ends to help keep it from coming out of the mask. I bought this from Amazon, it’s 109 yards. I’ve made over 100 masks and I don’t think I’ve used even half of this! Def. a great value.

Side note, if you want to make the mask more fitted around the nose, you can buy some pipe cleaners. Standard size, cut in half. I tried to order them off Joanns.com and they didn’t have them, but they did have them in store, and you have to go inside to get them. Or you can order some off Amazon.

General Info About Fabrics and Filter Material

No Sew Mask

Here’s the text info and the video:

And another one.

Rectangle Basic Mask

Pleated with interfacing template

Rectangle Mask with Pocket

Other Face Mask Templates

No pleat template/fitted.

Fitted with pocket for filter template.

Use your Cricut!

How to Clean a Mask

This has a video on how to make one but also goes into how to clean a mask.

If you decide to buy N95s:

On the news, N95 seems to be the best, but when I went to buy them online, I found different codes, if you’re concerned about where you buy them from I found this list of codes as to where each comes from:

N95 (United States NIOSH-42CFR84)

FFP2 (Europe EN 149-2001)

KN95 (China GB2626-2006)

P2 (Australia/New Zealand AS/NZA 1716:2012)

Korea 1st class (Korea KMOEL – 2017-64)

DS (Japan JMHLW-N)

And here is an article about the different types.

In conclusion

I hope you find all these links and videos helpful!

Christy Whitehead Photography

www.Jaxphotographer.com

Follow me on IG and FB: @Jaxphotographer

Three fun, easy, and educational rhythm activities to do with your kids during a quarantine

Three fun, easy, and educational rhythm activities to do with your kids during quarantine

By Alisha Ramcharitar, Owner/Founder, Just Add Rhythm LLC

Developing any kind of schedule during this quarantine can be tough.  Parents have to multi-task like never before – handle the household, home school, work remotely, and somehow safely get groceries.

How can you keep the kids entertained during those long stretches at home?

Here, we give you three simple ideas for your kids to access the fun and benefits of rhythm from home – no instruments required.

BYO Drum

Recently, I hosted a Quarantine Songs Jam Session for families on Facebook Live.  Beforehand, I invited all participants to find items around their house they could use as instruments – Tupperware containers, pencils/pens, pots/pans, salt and pepper shakers…you get the idea.  Invite your kids to get creative, and don’t be afraid to join them! Schedule a family fun evening where everyone BYO’s their most creative idea to the jam session.  Play along to our Facebook Live session:

Quarantine songs jam!

Posted by Just Add Rhythm LLC on Thursday, April 2, 2020

Or you can find your own quarantine playlist.

Secret Song

Next, let’s try a game.  This is a crowd pleaser during our in-person sessions for all ages, and it’s super simple.  One person plays a short excerpt of a song on their “drum,” and everyone else has to guess what it is.  The obvious challenge is that because you’re only hearing the rhythm and not the melody, it’s harder to guess the song correctly. 

Of course, we encourage everyone to pick songs that most people will be familiar with (like nursery rhyme songs, Christmas or holiday songs, patriotic songs, etc.).  The example I usually give when I demonstrate is the Happy Birthday song (aren’t we all sick of singing that while we wash our hands).

Check out this Spotify playlist of songs almost everyone knows the words to (just be sure to check which few songs are explicit if you choose to play the recording) for some pop-inspired ideas.

Part of the fun is trying to figure out how to actually play the song on your instrument.  Once someone guesses it, you can all try to play it together – and have a laugh if you mess up!

Rhythmic Breathing

Finally, being stuck at home and dealing with this quarantine can be stressful.  Your kids might feel anxiety or worry about the health and safety of themselves, their family, their friends.  They might be wondering when it will end, and when they can go back to school, back to their usual activities.  Or, they (and you!) might just need a mental break.

We can help them manage some of that stress or anxiety with a rhythmic breathing exercise called the Stopwatch Technique.  Percussionist Jim Donovan (formerly of the band Rusted Root) leads transformational rhythm programs to empower people to use sound to improve their health.  He developed this simple technique that aligns slow, deep breathing with light rhythmic tapping on your lap.  Follow along with Jim’s video here:

We’re all in this together

Did you find these activities fun and helpful?  Drop a line on Facebook to let us know how the kids enjoyed them, and be sure to follow us.

You can also find us here:

Instagram

YouTube

We’re all in this together.  Please reach out to us if we can offer you any additional resources, exercises, or techniques to try!  Rhythm is fun, and it’s also been proven to help improve our mental, physical, and emotional health.  Let’s get drumming!

Contact us (https://justaddrhythmnow.com/contact-us/)

Alisha Ramcharitar, M.A. is a global bridge between West African culture and corporate and community wellness.  The Founder of Just Add Rhythm, she leads interactive, innovative programs in the Jacksonville area and throughout Florida.  Alisha is a REMO endorsed and HealthRHYTHMS® trained facilitator. She and her husband are the proud parents of an energetic baby boy and an even more rambunctious Goldendoodle.  She’d like to think she’s as good a ukulele player as Zooey Deschanel.

7 Photo Craft Projects Your Kids and Family Will Love Doing Together

Cute ways to incorporate photos into your arts & crafts projects.

Children love to be creative. Whether it’s finger painting on a Saturday morning or a new macaroni portrait of the dog, arts and craft projects are a fantastic way to not only get them to have some fun by exerting those creative juices but it’s also great for keeping them busy for a while.

If you’re always taking photos and are looking for new ways to display them, incorporating your latest shots into your child’s next arts and craft project is the perfect way to do just that.

Below are some fun ideas.

  1. Frame your memories. There are so many fun frames that you can make with your children that can be used to display your favorite photoss. If you’re heading to the seaside for your next holiday, make a point of bringing back a few shells that can be used to create a cute frame.
  2. Create a puzzle. Choose one of your favorite photos, enlarge it and print it. Stick the photo on some sturdy cardboard and coat it with an acrylic spray to protect it. Cut out some puzzle shapes and let your child put the photo back together again.  OR, check out this method for making a Lego puzzle: https://www.icanteachmychild.com/lego-picture-puzzles/
  3. Craft a fridge magnet. Get your child to draw something from their imagination but leave a space for a photo in the picture. Laminate the drawing and attach magnetic sheets or tape to the back for an instant photo frame for your fridge.
  4. Make a mobile. A mobile is a unique way to display your family tree. Checkout sites such as Pinterest for inspiration. There are tons of creative templates to use.
  5. Make a coaster. See those photos year round with a cool tile coaster, or put it on an easel for display. Maybe even put your child’s hand print on the back!
  6. Make an ornament! Use the photo transfer method mentioned below to transfer the image onto a ceramic ornament.
  7. Make a necklace of photo pendants. https://www.handimania.com/diy/photo-pendant.html

Doing a photo transfer is a great way to do many projects: http://www.architectureofamom.com/2014/11/photo-transfer-ceramic-ornament.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+ArchitectureOfAMom+(Architecture+of+a+Mom)&crlt.pid=camp.EpAnoqboi8df

Using family photos in your next arts and crafts session is the perfect way to bond with your child and share some beautiful memories. Have fun!

Christy Whitehead is a professional photographer in Jacksonville, Florida. She specializes in newborn, families and headshots. Don’t feel like making your own art wall? Christy has lots of cool portrait options from prints mounted to wood or even printed on metal.

Check her out online:

https://www.facebook.com/JaxPhotographer/

www.Jaxphotographer.com