Is your phone on the same side of your desk as it was 2 years ago? Do you eat with just your dominant hand? When standing up, do you generally turn in the same direction again and again? Do you conveniently use the same hand to reach for reference material? Habits of movement may seem convenient but, in the long run, may contribute to imbalanced movements that may lead to stiffness and discomfort. Loosen up those muscles and joints and increase your brain cells' dendritic connections by being OPPOSITIONAL.

HOW TO BE OPPOSITIONAL:

Change how you move by consciously exploring different ways of performing your daily activities. Observe if you:

• Answer the phone with the same hand?
• Stand up facing the same direction?
• Get out of bed on the same side?
• Reach for the printer with the same arm?
• Eat with the same hand?
• Sit in the same chair during group meetings?

Explore how you could do these activities differently:

• Move the phone to a different location on your desk.
• Talk on the phone while standing up or while doing simple movement exercises, such as squats or walking in place.
• Alternate directions and consciously alternate which foot to lead with when standing up.
• Get out of bed on the opposite side; if you sleep with a partner, trade places at night (good luck).
• Use your non-dominant arm to retrieve papers from the printer.
• When completing simple check-off forms, use your non-dominant hand.
• Alternate hands when eating, cut with the opposite hand (ok, you can practice this one when in private!)
• Sit on different sides/ends of the conference table, or in different chairs during meetings. --Explore how you can do things differently: pouring coffee, driving home, walking across campus.

The Institute for Holistic Healing Studies and Human Resources sponsor the distribution of Healthy Computing Email Tips.

Copyright 2003 Erik Peper, Ph.D. and Katherine Hughes Gibney. Permission to copy and distribute Healthy Computing Email Tips for personal use is granted. Distribution or copying of Healthy Computing Email Tips for commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written consent of the copyright holders.