Workrave 1.9

“My good and noble health, Thou matter'st more then wealth. None know’th thy worth until Thou fad’st, and we fall ill.” These poem lines especially apply to those who have sedentary occupations. Monotonous work for several (dozen) hours a day, constantly in the same position has a detrimental effect on our health: spine, muscles, etc. The problem of RSI - Repetitive Strain Injury – injuries caused by chronic strain, is common especially among office workers. One of the methods of dealing with it is Workrave.

What is it? It is simply a program which organizes exercise during work. It regularly reminds you to take a short break and stretch your fingers (or other strained limbs) in order to prevent injuries and it also informs about longer breaks (every 45 minutes) during which the user should stand up and move. This seems obvious but when working, we often forget to take  a break in order to prevent efficiency loss. Even the Labor Code says that an employee should have a break during work. Workrave is of invaluable assistance, especially because it contains exercises which prevent muscle cramps during work.

Its interface is user-friendly and simple. It is quickly installed without any problems and the moment it starts, the program measures time by itself, reminds about breaks and displays the suggested exercises. Of course, the user may configure it and set the frequency of reminders and the length of breaks. To sum up, it is an excellent help for any employee running the risk of RSI.