StyleMyCube

Last week Crunch stopped by my work in hopes of signing up new members - smart move on their part as people are still reeling in New Year’s guilt. Part of their visit was a mini-yoga class as well as a chair yoga demonstration. Although I planned on attending, unfortunately I got caught up into something urgent (these words come out of my mouth way too often). Regardless, I was really intrigued by the idea of doing yoga while stuck in the cube, so I started looking online about this intriguing form of exercise.

Chair yoga (a.k.a. sitting yoga or office yoga) as it implies, is a gentle form of yoga that is practiced sitting in a chair, or standing using a chair for support. This form of yoga is really low-impact and is tremendously popular within seniors and those with disabilities. Just think if you try this out, maybe you’ll have something to rap to grandma about next Thanksgiving!

For those that have seen the mat before, standing postures, such as Triangle and Warrior variations, and flowing postures such as Salutations or Vinyasa, all can be practiced while sitting in a chair.

I researched this topic online for awhile and here are some of the best resources I found for anyone interested in getting a quick stretch without leaving the office

• Several youtube videos with demonstrations

• A nicely categorized link to a bunch of short .gifs displaying each stretch.

• Nice instructions for some of the real basics chair exercises.

While chair yoga is a great concept, it must be practiced cautiously. Cubes by definition don’t have much privacy, so try to practice when you know you wont get caught, or you’ll end up like this guy -

All of us need to relax a little bit more. I just heard a stat that males with significant workplace stress during their career are 68% more likely of getting heart disease. Wow that is scary. So the question is how can we chill out a bit more at work? Well there is no easy answer, however one thing I know that works pretty well is hanging some nature pictures. Whenever you need a little break from the monotony of cube life, just stare and the pic and loose yourself in calmness. Whether its a scenic landscape of mountains, a calming pond of water or a close up of a sunflower, pictures of our amazing planet hung in the cube are a surefire way to reduce workplace stress.

If you really want to get fancy, couple the nature picture with an matching air freshener and to get the most authenticity

If you’re stuck in Cubicle Nation, then you’ve probably discovered the value of a good pair of headphones by now. Whether they are for blasting techno while working that insanely boring project or sneaking in a youtube video, headphones have become a must-have in the office place. For those allowed to use headphones at work, being able to escape from the numerous annoying sounds produced by a common workspace to either quiet bliss or streaming music has literally become part or our focusing process. Without headphones pumping sick 80’s tunes in my ears half the day, my mind would easily wander another 10-15 times during the workday. Furthermore, headphones are great because they offer a little bit of privacy in the otherwise very public cubicle landscape. People are less likely to come over to your cube when they see you with headphones on. For these reasons and others, headphones have truly become a cube necessity - the question is are the expensive headphones really worth their price tag? Read the rest of this entry »

It’s officially time to think about your New Year’s Resolution for 2008!  You may want to consider making a resolution to eat healthier at the office.  The office place is filled with diet breaking temptations such as vending machines, snack drawers, and department lunches.  Here are a few simple tips to eating healthier at work:

*Bring fresh fruit & vegetables to the office, such as apples, bananas, oranges (clementines are especially work friendly because they are easy to peel!), cherry tomatoes, broccoli florets, and baby carrots, to snack on instead of reaching for a candy bar

*Drink water at your desk, rather than a sugary soft drink

*Coordinate a snack committee to lobby for healthful food for department meetings 

*If you go out for a work lunch ask the waiter to box 1/2 of your lunch for you to eat later for dinner or for lunch the next day 

Now that Thanksgiving has passed it’s time to start getting into the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Winter spirit! Include a personalized sign of your holiday cheer vis-à-vis your favorite holiday ornament hung from an ornament stand. Along with some peppermint hot chocolate and christmas tunes from your ipod you’ll instantly add an individualized touch of festiveness to your work place.

Financial Times columnist, Lucy Kellaway, offers solutions to the trials and tribulations of the workplace.  Everything from workplace dating, to smelly coworkers, to email etiquette provides fodder for discussion, with Financial Times readers weighing in with their perspectives.  The Financial Times is located in the United Kingdom, so a lot of crises are addressed with a healthy dose of British wit.

For artistic types: The design firm Harry Allen reinterprets the ordinary to create a stylish and witty desk set which plays on iconic forms of typical objects in an office setting (i.e. pencils, rubberband ball, business cards).  The Reality Desk Set includes a pencil tray,  a paperweight, and a business card holder made of a white resin cast from real objects. 

As you strain your eyes beneath the flickering flourescent light above your cube and are hit by waves of Seasonal Affective Disorder, you might wonder if this is any way to live. Thankfully, there are products which simulate natural lighting and are scientifically designed to enhance vision and viewing comfort. Two popular products include the Ott Lite Vision Saver Plus designed by Dr. John Ott a photobiologist who discovered the remarkable effects that natural light has on living things while filming the Secrets of Life Series for Walt Disney and the Bright as Day Lamp which offers brilliant, glare-free, wide spectrum light. Now you can continue along happily with your work in the simulated light of a Caribbean island and not have to worry about sunburn.

Customize your cube with your favorite pictures. The various online photo shops (ofoto, shutterfly, etc.) offer customizable products such as mugs, mousepads, coasters, notecards, calendars, stickers, and magnets. Slap on that digital vacation picture of you and the family and have the best looking coffee mug in the office! Check out the magic tile mug at ofoto. The basic premise is while your mug may appear plain black, when you pour a warm beverage in, your picture “magically” appears…. wow!

The USB port to your computer is a source of power for fun techy gadgets. Everything from fragrance dispensers to heating pads to lava lamps are available to you via USB. The USB gadget industry is so evolved that there’s an entire blog at www.usbgadgets.org devoted to USB Gadgets. Here’s a list of the top 5 unique USB gadgets for your cube:

USB Mini Fridge:

The “coolest” way to keep your drink cold - this retro-styled USB powered mini fridge guarantees that you’ll never return to a warm soda after a long afternoon meeting. Now all of your coworkers will gaze at you thirstily as you drink your cold frosty beverage.

USB Heating Slippers:

A great resolution to the battle of the thermostat in the office for the perpetually cold person. The product boasts a cozy design for defrosting your feet. Related items include USB heating gloves and a USB “cafe pad” to keep your coffee mug warm.

USB Vacuum:

For the office neat freak, a USB powered vacuum cleaner designed to rid your keyboard, monitor and surrounding work area of dust and debris. This product features an easy to clean Filtration system to trap dust. Another related product found online is a USB Humidifier.

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