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Home Ergonomic Trends

IoT Era Will Force Big Sedentary to Active Lifestyle Shift

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July 7, 2023 - Updated on September 10, 2023
Reading Time: 19 mins read

Esports stars rely on healthy, rested bodies to yield sharper, more productive minds. But one-quarter of U.S. adults are obese. Meanwhile, an AI-powered information era is emerging. That will lead to a great social divide: active prosumers versus passive, ‘useless’ consumers. This article reveals physical fitness as the difference-maker. Read critical statistics on obesity, sedentary lifestyles, chronic pain — and brain capacities. These reveal how the unfit may get swept away in the swells of a fast-emerging Internet of Things (IoT).

Prediction of a global shift from sedentary to active lifestyles
In the coming IoT era, desk workers will need to perform like athletes.

To give their players an edge, many top esports teams endorse regular exercise, sound nutrition, and stable sleep patterns for their players. Clinical studies(1) validate this approach: regular exercise reduces physical pain and depression — while boosting quality of life.

Fat vs fit desk workers
A widening gap between unhealthy and healthy job applicants is likely in the coming years.

Despite this, around 34.5 million Americans suffer from chronic musculoskeletal pain (MSK) — while obesity runs rampant. Statistics suggest that these trends are largely tech-driven:

Technostress in the IoT era
Many already struggle with physical & mental technostress; the IoT era will amplify that.

As computing times increased over the years, sedentary times, obesity levels, and musculoskeletal issues have skyrocketed. These problems obliterate the executive functioning powers of the brain.

But in the emerging IoT era, a sharp brain will be essential to process data from all facets of life. Some will succeed; others will become ‘useless’ burdens on society:

Internet Of Things (IoT) Technostress

Alvin Toffler first predicted a major shift from an industrial to information society. AOL founder Steve Case followed up by pointing out the Internet’s evolutionary objective.

WEF 4th Industrial Revolution
The planned ‘revolution’ seeks to wrap humans in a perpetual state of semi-virtual reality.

WEF Chair Klaus seizes on that objective by hyping an impending 4th Industrial Revolution, aka the Internet of Things (IoT).

To keep up, professionals must find ways to ward off physical and mental technostress. That will require sharp executive functioning brain ability — which is dependent on physical health.

Toffler’s Third Wave

Alvin Toffler’s Third Wave book(2) described three major waves of socio-technological change:

  1. First wave: a transition from hunter-gathering to agriculture.
  2. Second wave: an industrial age centered around a nuclear family.
  3. Third wave: a transition into the Information Age. Then, knowledge will become more valuable than material items.

In his preceding book Future Shock, Toffler predicted that rapid social and economic upheaval would place immense pressure on traditional life. Then, nuclear families would become unsustainable.

People struggling to adapt to the Internet of Things
Toffler predicted that many would struggle to adapt to drastic Third Wave changes.

Replacing nuclear families would be blended ones. A nuclear family consists of a married couple and their children.

In contrast, a typical blended family includes at least one step-parent, step-siblings, and/or half-siblings. An IoT blended family would go a collective step broader.

Blended Family IoT Neighborhoods

Toffler predicted that Third Wave prosumer societies would favor individuation over mass consumption. The social nexus would become family first and neighborhood second.

Nuclear vs blended family units
Traditional nuclear families are expected to splinter during the IoT era.

That opens the door for local, prosumer educators to assume a place within blended family concepts. Their role will be to guide youth as they perform tasks or consume data. That frees IoT parents to go harder at work.

Active Prosumers Vs Passive Consumers

Those who thrive in this era will be the ones best able to embrace disruption and go with the flow. Toffler calls these people ‘prosumers’.

Navigating the Internet of Things
Those who embrace disruption will gain the most during the Third Wave shift.

Technology will give them the means to produce their own goods and services for sale. In fact, prosumer culture is unfolding right now all around us.

IoT professional of the future
A typical workday in the life of a successful IoT professional of the future.

Twitter is teeming with citizen journalists. Many earn a living selling handicrafts on Etsy. Fiverr lets people sell digital services. Gumroad lets creators sell courses and digital products.

These creators rely on consumers to buy their wares or take in their content. But in the IoT era, a pure ‘consumer’ means someone unable to contribute.

Wall-E useless consumers
Useless consumers in the IoT era (from the film Wall-E).

Those folks will fall to a lower class of society. They’ll bring nothing to the collective table other than a consumption of resources.

Steve Case’s Third Wave

In 2017, AOL co-founder Steve Case released his own Third Wave book(3). It built upon Toffler’s work by pointing out the ultimate direction the internet is headed.

IoT smart cities: Internet of the future
Three waves of internet evolution lead to a final goal: IoT-powered smart cities.

Case described its evolution with three major waves:

  1. First wave: 1990s launch of the World Wide Web.
  2. Second wave: rise of tech giants (Google, Amazon, Facebook) connected by mobile devices.
  3. Third Wave: an Internet of Things (IoT) that connects to cars, homes, cities, and nature.

Schwab’s 4th Industrial Revolution

The World Economic Forum hypes what’s coming as the 4th Industrial Revolution. Its aim: wrap the entire planet into a full-blown Internet of Things (IoT).

Fourth Industrial Revolution
WEF Chair hyping the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

WEF Chair Klaus Schwab’s 4th Industrial Revolution book(4) cites tech breakthroughs that make this possible. These include artificial intelligence, robotics, autonomous vehicles, biotechnology, and quantum computing.

Downside of multi-device computing
Ubiquitous computing demands will soon influence all aspects of modern office life.

This will result in “billions of people connected by mobile devices, with unprecedented processing power, storage capacity, and access to knowledge.”

The Technostress Conundrum

Schwab’s vision aims to wrap the world in a perpetual state of near-virtual reality. But there’s a problem: humans are not equipped to be plugged into machines non-stop.

Information-era multi-device workstation
Humans in the IoT era will exist in a ubiquitous computing state of near-virtual reality.

Doing so yields three types of technostress that institutional ergonomists are scrambling to solve:

  1. Physical technostress: extended use of laptops and mobile devices increases the risks for musculoskeletal disorders.
  2. Mental technostress: cognitive overload comes from using too many complicated gadgets at once.
  3. Techno-addiction: inability to disconnect. Techno-addicts hooked on dopamine hits will compulsively use their phones to combat boredom.

Technostress: Physical & Mental Health Computing Disease

Executive Function Digital Overload Danger

At the heart of the technostress issue there are biological brain limits. The brain works like a muscle. When depleted of energy, it becomes less effective.

Executive function limits in the Internet of Things
The IoT era will burn out the majority — and empower executive function adepts.

Executive function is a self-regulation mental process that emanates from the prefrontal cortex part of the brain. It lets us execute plans, focus attention, and multi-task.

When focusing on a task for extended periods, executive function keeps you locked in. It also powers disciplinary actions like eating healthy food instead of cake.

Strong versus weak executive function willpower
When fatigued, executive brain functions that fuel discipline weaken.

In fact, any process needing conscious effort (like resisting food temptations) depends on executive function. However, this is a single brain resource with a limited capacity(5).

Messy workstation concequences
An unkempt workspace causes stress, depression, and coping mechanisms like overeating.

If your brain is always fried, you’ll struggle with other tasks that need discipline — like keeping your desk clean. Studies show that working in clutter has a negative impact on cognition, mood, emotions, and behavior.

As clutter jacks stress levels, people turn to coping mechanisms. Common ones include overeating, binge drinking video games, and social media.

Executive Function Problems Among Young Gamers

The brain’s prefrontal cortex is the executive function command center. This part of the brain doesn’t develop until the age of 25. A few hours of intense gaming can exhaust executive functions.

Overweight teen gamer in a messy, dirty room
Youth who burn their brains out gaming often neglect hygiene, fitness and nutrition.

That explains why young gamers often neglect basic needs like food, sleep, exercise and personal hygiene. When their executive functioning limits get fried, they lack the resources for focus or discipline(6).

As a reference, here are the average attention spans of different ages:

  • 4 years old: 8 minutes
  • 8 years old: 16 minutes
  • 12 years old: 24 minutes
Movement breaks for children
Most 4-year-olds can maintain focus for around eight minutes before needing a break.

After 16 minutes of focus on a basic task, an 8-year-old will have exhausted their executive functioning ability. Without time to recharge, energy for other tasks will vanish. Then slothful habits, gluttony, and apathy may take over.

Navigating Executive Functioning: Cognitive Limits In The Internet Era

Per Openvault’s 2022 Q4 Internet Report(7), the average monthly data used by subscribers was 586.7 GB (19.5 GB per day). The amount of ‘power users’ consuming over 1TB per month rose 16% over the previous year.

How many gigabytes of data do people consume?
The amount of data gigabytes consumed per day will skyrocket in the IoT era.

With impending smart city infrastructure and IoT devices, this figure will skyrocket. Smart sensors, autonomous cars, and home appliances will all spew data. Keeping on top of it all will push executive function to extreme endurance levels.

Unhealthy Computing Statistics

In the current era, billions are already struggling. This section outlines running rampant in the Second (pre-IoT) iteration of the Internet:

  1. Increased sedentary time
  2. Obesity: as people move less and eat more, they get fatter.
  3. Brain Fog: sedentary, overweight people have a smaller mental capacity than the physically fit.
  4. Physical breakdown: sedentary, obese, internet addicts suffer physical problems that amplify their inability to focus.

Increased Sedentary Time

The percent of the labor force in high-activity occupations was a steady 30% from 1950 to 1970. Over the next 30 years, high-activity jobs declined to reach 22.6% in 2000(8).

High activity versus low activity occupational trends
Percentage of the labor force in high versus low-activity occupations 1950-2000.

In 1950, around 30% more Americans worked in high-activity occupations. By 2000, there were twice as many people in low-activity jobs versus high-activity ones. In 2012, University of North Carolina researchers dove deeper.

They looked at MET versus sedentary statistics collected since 1965. Then, they projected those to 2030(9).

The Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) is an exercise testing measurement. One MET = an oxygen consumption rate of 3.5 ml per kg of body weight per minute. If an activity has a MET value of 2, you burn twice the calories than when at rest.

Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) infographic
The number of METs expended depends on the level of physical activity intensity.

To calculate MET hours, you multiply the MET value of an activity by its duration in hours. So an activity with a MET value of 2 done for 2 hours = 4 MET hours.

MET hours vs sedentary lifestyle trends 1965-2030
U.S. adult average MET hours per week vs hours per week spent in sedentary behavior.

The researchers noted that 1965’s 235 MET-hours expended per week was ‘somewhat low’. By 2023, it’s forecast to reach a dangerously low 126 MET-hours per week.

Video Games And Sedentary Lifestyles

The MET-hours graph shows a sharp spike upwards in 1998 (the Windows 98 era) — aka one of the best years in video game history(10).

That year saw the release of the Unreal engine. It brought 3D technology to a higher level. Then, Half-Life showed off the narrative potential of first-person shooters. The same year, StarCraft debuted.

Starcraft in Korea history
The Starcraft release + the 1997 IMF crisis saw Korean trading rooms converted into gaming centers.

Its release went red-hot in South Korea, playing a pivotal role in the formation of the competitive gaming scene.

Birth Of Esports: Starcraft + South Korea 1998

Active Vs Sedentary Levels Through Time

Meanwhile, time spent engaged in sedentary behavior (1 MET) averaged just 26 hours per week in 1965. By 2030, that is expected to reach 43 sedentary hours per week — sloth-like levels.

Active hunter-gatherer lifestyle versus sedentary modern consumer lifestyle
Active, athletic hunter-gatherers versus an obese modern consumer.

These activity levels burn around 65% less energy per day than the average Paleolithic hunter-gatherer. To reach those activity levels, a 70 kg modern adult would need to walk 19 km (12 miles) per day.

During the Colonial period (1700-1776), Americans plowed, hunted, and herded their way to high levels of fitness. Post-Civil War (1865-1900), industrial life replaced the old agricultural one. Then, the masses transitioned to sedentary city living(11).

Pre and post industrial fitness levels in America
U.S. fitness levels began to drop as industrial, big-city life replaced farming.

That was around the same time that mandatory schooling kicked in nationwide. Then, a generation of once-feral farm kids transitioned to a sedentary life of full-time desk work.

Poor conditions in a school in the 1850s
Farm kids who failed to sit still were beaten into compliance.

Kids were suddenly forced to sit ramrod straight all day long on rigid wooden seats. Those who fidgeted or failed to comply were violently assaulted into obedience. Learn more:

U.S. School Seating History 1635-2021

Obesity Epidemic

Modern, sedentary humans burn less energy per day than their pre-industrial ancestors. But they also consume more. In fact, the American diet began to radically change in the mid-1800s(12).

Processed food link with obesity
The rise of processed food industries sparked a rise in chronic non-communicable diseases.

Technological advances, urbanization, and the rise of food conglomerates were all factors. Foods became progressively more processed. This was associated with a parallel but delayed rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Chronic NCDs include abdominal obesity, type 2 diabetes, gout, heart disease, strokes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Rising Obesity In The Computing Era

The emergence of personal computing in the 1990s coincided with skyrocketing childhood obesity. For instance, this CDC chart shows sharp upward obesity trends for ages 6-11 and 12-19 (prime video gaming age):

Childhood obesity trends in America
Childhood obesity trends by age in the USA.

Another study found that sedentary behaviors rise as children get older(13). It measured activity levels of various age groups over an 8-year span.

Physical activity levels in adolescents
As kids get older, physical activity levels drop and sedentary behaviors soar.

Significantly, the number of overweight adolescents has tripled since 1980; the prevalence among younger kids has more than doubled(14). Beyond sedentary behavior, contributing factors included:

  • More fast food: energy intake from away-from-home food sources increased from 20% to 32%.
  • Missed breakfasts: more missed breakfasts — especially for children of working mothers.
  • Less milk: in 1977-78, children aged 6-11 drank four times as much milk than any other beverage. By 1996, they consumed twice as many sugar-sweetened drinks than milk.
  • More soda: soda consumption spiked in the mid-1990s. Soft drink consumption for adolescent boys almost tripled between 1977-1994.

Obesity Brain Fog Epidemic

Obesity causes functional and structural changes in the brain. For example, high body fat reduces brain grey matter volume. Grey matter contains neurons that process and transmit information.

Obese versus healthy desk workers
Obesity slows cognitive function and cripples productivity.

So as a person gets fatter, their cognitive functioning slows(15) in many ways:

  • Conditions associated with obesity (like hypertension & inflammation) cause metabolic and circulatory brain dysfunctions.
  • Obesity is linked with reduced cognitive functioning, short-term memory loss and learning difficulties.
  • Obese people have less cognitive flexibility (the ability to alter plans on-the-fly).

Behavioral patterns have also been identified in obese individuals. These include a lack of initiative, inhibition, and self-monitoring. Typically, these traits are expressed as apathy, impulsivity, and poor behavioral control.

Obesity Physical Breakdown Epidemic

Overeating while living a sedentary life will fatten your belly and fog up your brain. Once in that abyss, the body breaks down. That makes losing weight a monumental task.

Fat vs fit desk work styles
Obese people suffer greater musculoskeletal burdens that can affect their desk working ability.

These physical issues are common in the obese:

  • Weak spines and knees: those with a BMI (body mass index) over 35.0 are 63.1% weaker in lower joint strength than slimmer types.
  • Tender feet: toting more weight degrades shock-absorbing elasticity in the feet. This affects posture and mobility.
  • Destroyed knees: adults 18-29 with a BMI over 35 are 80% more likely to suffer knee problems later in life.
  • Greater musculoskeletal burdens: musculoskeletal pain is 26% higher among obese kids. The link between obesity and musculoskeletal pain have been found in children as young as 2.

Ergonomic Challenges For Obese Sizes

Existing Deskwork Essentials

These days, Americans spend around 55% of their waking time (7.7 hours a day) engaged in sedentary behaviors. In South Korea (the spiritual center of pro esports) 20.6% of adults are sedentary for 12+ hours per day.

Common desk worker musculoskeletal disorders
Failure to use healthy sitting techniques can cause serious long-term health problems.

But the human body is not designed to sit for long periods. Doing so misaligns the spine. That places severe strain on back muscles to hold the spine upright.

Body distortion caused by sloppy sitting habits
Around 80% of American adults are believed to be suffering from anterior pelvic tilt.

Over time, that can result in serious spinal deformities. For example, it’s estimated that around 80% of U.S. adults suffer from anterior pelvic tilt. This is unnecessary: solutions for tech-related spinal misalignments already exist.

Text neck kyphosis damage
Excessive text neck habits can deform the spine and make people physically shorter.

There are three fundamentals. The third is the most crucial:

  1. Ergonomic seating: supports the spine into a healthy standing alignment for long periods.
  2. Sit-to-stand desk: supports multi-device (PC and mobile) computing + movement.
  3. Healthy lifestyles: fitness + nutrition + quality sleep enhances executive functioning in the prefrontal cortex.

Ergonomic Chair: Dynamic Neutral Support

The science of healthy sitting was all guesswork until 1973. Then, NASA scientists studied astronauts in zero gravity. When working or relaxed, they naturally fell into neutral body postures (NBP).

Neutral sitting position history and methods
Neutral posture origins and variations in one picture.

NBP is the foundation of all modern-day ergonomic seating options. There are many variations. But in all cases, the point is to align the spine into a healthy neutral posture.

The institutional definition of ‘ergonomic’ seating is straightforward. All types of ergonomic chairs power neutral postures with a trio of components:

Adjustable lumbar support aligns the spine. Adjustable arms add more bracing to prop your torso up against gravity. A reclining backrest lets you customize support angles and stimulate movement.

Healthy posture side views in three different ergonomic desk chairs
Healthy, comfortable neutral postures L-R: Secretlab Titan, Herman Miller Aeron, Haworth Fern.

There are myriad benefits gained by sitting with good posture. The most significant is zero pain while sitting. Without pain, sitting for long periods is a pleasure.

The next big one is a huge surge of energy. Instead of muscles doing the work, your chair does. Other benefits of good sitting posture include:

  • Fewer headaches: good posture reduces the neck tension that causes migraines.
  • Reduced joint stress: awkward sitting misaligns the hips, placing stress on the joints.
  • More oxygen: good sitting posture opens the chest, increasing oxygen intake.
  • More energy and focus: an aligned body works muscles efficiently, leaving more power for brainwork.
  • Improved digestion: efficient bodily operation speeds metabolism and waste passage.

Gaming Chair Benefits For Men, WOmen & Kids

Ergonomic Seating Limitations

Ergonomic seating comes with two significant downsides. First, despite the hype, none of the chairs on the market adequately support movement(16). Fancy tilt functions have a toy-like impact.

Synchronous tilt functions vs stretching on a yoga mat
Short movement breaks blow away the benefits of fancy ergonomic chair tilting functions.

The second big downside has to do with executive functioning. Sitting with neutral postures — and maintaining them — takes awareness and effort. Without that effort, the chair won’t help.

Bad vs good posture examples in a Steelcase Series 1
Sloppy posture in a misconfigured Steelcase Series 1 (left) vs proper usage + chair configuration.

Some people make the mistake of relying wholly on the chair. Check r/OfficeChairs on Reddit to see a staggering number of people buying multiple $1000+ chairs. They are looking for ‘magic’ that doesn’t exist!

Poor gaming chair sitting style
Gaming chairs are very comfortable — even when used improperly.

Without effort put into neutral-ish postures, the type of chair you use does not matter. In any type of gaming or office chair, sloppy usage will yield poor posture and back pain.

Neutral Sitting Posture Fundamentals

Related: How To Sit With Neutral Posture in ANY Type Of Ergonomic Chair

Standing Desk: Movement + Mobile Support

Sit-to-stand desks pick up the movement slack left behind by ergonomic chairs. These let you shift from sitting to standing at the push of a button.

Standing desk control panel closeup
Shifting from sitting to standing modes using a Secretlab Magnus Pro desk.

Shifting from sitting to standing (or vice versa) replicates a squat. That works legs, hip, and back muscles while giving your circulation a good boost.

Sit-to-stand desk pros and cons for beginners

On top of that, it’s easier to maintain good posture while standing — almost effortless for a few hours at a time.

Healthy texting postures using a sit-stand desk for support
Standing desks can support healthy texting postures while sitting or standing.

However, text neck syndrome is running rampant in our current mobile era. To that end, standing desks also support multi-device (PC & mobile) computing.

Sit-To-Stand Desk Pros & Cons: Worth It?

Standing Desk Limitations

Experts suggest aiming for a 1:1 ratio while using a sit-stand desk. So if you stand for an hour, you should then sit for an hour.
Many studies have identified mental barriers that dissuade using the sit-to-stand functions. These are habitual: people are so used to sitting that they ‘forget’ to stand. Key issues:

  • Inconsistent use: the most common barrier to a smooth integration into dynamic workstations.
  • Training is necessary: a study among 4 Swedish companies found that only 20% of staff make regular sit-stand transitions without training. As a result, they gain zero musculoskeletal benefits.
  • Training wears off: even with training, use of the sit-to-stand functions tends to decrease over time.

This explains the emergence of technologies like the Movably Smart chair. It supports frequent sit-to-stand transitions with built-in sensors which vibrate at intervals.

Core Movably Pro Smart Chair features
This chair promotes movement while working at a standing desk.

It also has a two-sides seat. That supercharges movement by letting you stand, put one foot up, or shift to a full sitting mode in seconds. Learn more:

Movably Smart Chair Might Skyrocket Standing Desk Adoption

Health Triad: Exercise + Nutrition + Sleep

Many top esports teams provide their players with high-end computers, desks, and ergonomic chairs. They also coax their players towards a health-oriented approach. The idea is that healthy, rested players perform to higher levels.

How to get rid of technostress forever!
Exercise + good nutrition + sound sleep = better performance at the computer.

Clinical reviews support this approach for all desk workers(1). A fit, healthy lifestyle reduces physical pain and depression — while boosting one’s quality of life.

Exercise + Rest + Nutrition Esports Performance Blueprint

Recap: IoT Active Lifestyle Shift

This article predicts that the IoT Era will force people to adopt healthy lifestyles – or get left behind.

Sedentary vs active lifestyle shift
Those unfit to adapt to rapid IoT change may become unemployable.

Here’s a summary of the key problem:

  1. 4th Industrial Revolution: the Internet of Things (IoT) will yield hyper-connected hubs of prosumer production. Pure consumers making no contributions will fall to a lower class.
  2. More data to process: in 2022, the average person consumed around 19 GB per day. In the hyper-connected IoT era, they may consume 100x more.
  3. Executive function overload: the brain is not equipped to take in large amounts of data without time to rest. Once burned out, willpower, discipline, and focus crumble.
  4. Sedentary obesity: brains fried on tech fall into sloth, poor hygiene, and junk food gluttony. That creates a downward spiral: physical and mental breakdown.

Ergonomic seating and a sit-to-stand desk are handy health aids in the tech era. These help you manage your physical & mental health while computing.

Magnus Pro desk providing multi-device computing support
My Secretlab Titan chair + Magnus Pro desk in multi-device support action.

Steelcase recently looked into this by asking ‘What Does Gen Z Want?’ From potential employer, Gen Z want two things above all else: a good work-life balance and their own dedicated ergonomic chair + desk + computer setup.

Why the brain needs downtime to perform better
The brain needs downtime to process info and recharge.

From a long-term, IoT perspective, that also works. A good ergonomic setup + enough time to recharge between sessions gives workers the flexibility they need to thrive.

Physical Fitness Trumps All

Beyond a good setup + downtime, fitness stands out as the big difference-maker among Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z age groups. Among each, the majority are sliding into inertia and obesity.

Anna, remote home worker of the future
A failed desk worker in the IoT era.

A smaller, savvier percentage in each group swings the esports way: good setups + healthy lifestyles = peak performance.

Institutional vs esports performance-boosting philosophy comparison
A furniture-driven performance optimization model vs a holistic esports one (breaks, exercise, etc).

In the emerging IoT era, these fit, muscular aces will jostle for dominance. Meanwhile, fat, unhealthy consumers are at risk of becoming ‘unemployable’. Without good posture and fitness, they’ll lack the energy to power a brain that keeps up.

Active vs sedentary Gen Z desk workers
Two types of Gen Z desk workers of the future: active vs sedentary.

This is why the IoT era will likely spark a major sedentary to active lifestyle shift. To keep up with the times, aspiring professionals won’t have a choice. Learn more from Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z perspectives:

What Will The Desk Worker Of The Future Look Like?

Footnotes

  1. Grace Wang et al. ‘Older Adult Use and Outcomes in a Digital Musculoskeletal (MSK) Program, by Generation’. August 3, 2021, doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2021.693170, (accessed 29 June, 2023).
  2. Alvin Toffler. ‘The Third Wave’. William Morrow, 1980. Printed Material. Read an online PDF version, (accessed 4 July, 2023).
  3. Steve Case. ‘The Third Wave’. Simon & Schuster, April 18, 2017, https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Third-Wave/Steve-Case/9781501132599, (accessed 4 July, 2023).
  4. Klaus Schwab. ‘The Fourth Industrial Revolution’. Penguin Books Limited, 2016. Read an online PDF version, (accessed 4 July, 2023).
  5. On Amir. ‘Tough Choices: How Making Decisions Tires Your Brain’. Scientific American, July 22, 2008, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/tough-choices-how-making/, (accessed 4 July, 2023).
  6. Cam Adair. ‘How Gaming Affects the Brain’. September 18, 2022, https://gamequitters.com/how-gaming-affects-the-brain/, (accessed 4 July, 2023).
  7. Openvault. ‘Broadband Insights Report (OVBI) 4Q22’. Q4, 2022, https://openvault.com/wpcontent/uploads/2023/02/OVBI_4Q22_Report.pdf/, (accessed 4 July, 2023).
  8. Ross C. Brownson, et al. ‘Declining Rates Of Physical Activity In The United States’. Annual Review of Public Health, Vol. 26:421-443 (Volume publication date 21 April 2005). https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.26.021304.144437, (accessed 4 July, 2023).
  9. S. W. Ng, et al. ‘Time use and physical activity: a shift away from movement across the globe’. Wiley Online Library, 14 June, 2012. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2011.00982.x (accessed 4 July, 2023).
  10. Daniel Hindes. ‘Why 1998 Was the Best Year in Gaming’. December 28, 2014, https://www.gamespot.com/articles/why-1998-was-the-best-year-in-gaming/1100-6424354/, (accessed 4 July, 2023).
  11. Citations 11-16

  12. Lance C. Dalleck, M.S. and Len Kravitz, Ph.D. ‘The History of Fitness’ University of New Mexico, https://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/history.html, (accessed 4 July, 2023).
  13. Joyce H. Lee, et al. ‘United States Dietary Trends Since 1800: Lack of Association Between Saturated Fatty Acid Consumption and Non-communicable Diseases’ Front Nutr. 2021; 8: 748847. Published online 2022 Jan 13, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8805510/, (accessed 4 July, 2023).
  14. Cheryl D. Fryar, et al., ‘Prevalence of Overweight, Obesity, and Severe Obesity Among Children and Adolescents Aged 2–19 Years: United States, 1963–1965 Through 2017–2018’. CDC, Division of Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. 2021 Jan 29, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/obesity-child-17-18/obesity-child.htm, (accessed 4 July, 2023).
  15. Jennifer Bishop, et al., ‘Childhood Obesity’. ASPE Childhood Obesity White Paper, Apr 30, 2005. https://aspe.hhs.gov/reports/aspe-childhood-obesity-white-paper, (accessed 4 July, 2023).
  16. Erick Gómez-Apo, et al. ‘Structural Brain Changes Associated with Overweight and Obesity’. J Obes. July 16, 2021, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8302366/, (accessed 4 July, 2023).
  17. Jennifer Pynt. ‘Rethinking design parameters in the search for optimal dynamic seating’. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2015 Apr;19(2):291-303. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25892386/, (accessed 4 July, 2023).

Anil Ramsey

Anil Ramsey

I'm the ChairsFX founder and Chief Editor. I'm a member of the OSHA Education Center Association (OECA), with an OSHA Ergonomics Certification. Beyond these credentials, I've been hands-on testing the world's finest ergonomic desk chairs since 2018. Learn more about me and this website on the About Us page.


 

Table of Contents

  1. Internet Of Things (IoT) Technostress
    1. Toffler’s Third Wave
    2. Schwab’s 4th Industrial Revolution
    3. Executive Function Digital Overload Danger
  2. Unhealthy Computing Statistics
    1. Increased Sedentary Time
    2. Obesity Epidemic
    3. Obesity Brain Fog Epidemic
    4. Obesity Physical Breakdown Epidemic
  3. Existing Deskwork Essentials
    1. Ergonomic Chair: Dynamic Neutral Support
    2. Standing Desk: Movement + Mobile Support
    3. Health Triad: Exercise + Nutrition + Sleep
  4. Recap: IoT Active Lifestyle Shift
    1. Physical Fitness Trumps All

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