Pay attention to your feet when teleworking! Recommended items to improve work efficiency

Teleworking has now become firmly established since the COVID-19 outbreak.

According to the Japan Telework Association, telework essentially means a flexible way of working that is not bound by location or time, and there are three types of telework depending on where you work: home-based telework (working from home), mobile work, and facility-based telework (working from a satellite office, etc.).

This time, we will focus on home-based telework (working from home) and shine a spotlight on your feet, which are surprisingly often overlooked when teleworking, and introduce items that will make teleworking more comfortable and also help improve work efficiency.

Teleworking can be surprisingly hard on the body

Teleworking from home has the advantage of not having to commute and being able to work at your own pace while remaining relaxed.

On the other hand, it can be difficult to switch on and off, which can lead to overwork, or you can end up sitting for long periods of time and moving your body less, which can lead to poor circulation and result in stiff shoulders, back pain, swelling, and chills.

When working in an office, there are times when you switch between on and off, such as when your shift starts, when you take your lunch break, and when you finish work, and you also have opportunities to move your body to some extent, such as when you go to a conference room or pick up documents.

However, there are probably many people who sit at home almost all day, and when they are busy, they sit in front of the computer without even having a proper lunch.

The part of the body that takes the most strain when sitting is the feet.

An experiment conducted on a certain television program showed that blood flow immediately deteriorates after just five minutes of sitting, and after 5 minutes, blood flow rate drops by XNUMX%.

Teleworking while sitting for long periods of time can reduce blood flow, especially to the legs, so even though you're not moving much, it can actually put a strain on your body.

Recently, the risk of "economy class syndrome" has become a hot topic as a drawback of teleworking. It is said that sitting at a desk for long periods of time can have the same effects on the body as a long-distance flight in a cramped seat.

The best way to prevent these problems caused by sitting still is to just keep moving.

Ideally, you should get up from your desk once an hour and do something different, or move your body by doing some light stretching or leg raises, but the reality is that when you're working alone, it's easy to get absorbed in your work and this can be difficult.

The connection between the feet and the brain

It is often said that the "calf muscles are the second heart," and it is known that the function of the legs plays a major role in increasing blood flow throughout the body.

There is an even closer relationship between leg movements and brain function, and many doctors agree that "moving your legs frequently leads to brain activation."

It has been medically proven that exercising by moving the legs increases blood flow to the entire brain, activating the thinking system and improving thinking ability, motivation and concentration; it has also been proven that using the fingertips of the hands and feet, which have many nerves connected to the brain, also trains the brain.

3 recommended footwear items for teleworking

When working remotely from home, most people will wear relaxed clothing such as loungewear, and their feet will be barefoot or in socks or slippers, just as they would normally wear at home.

When appearing on camera in a web conference, you may be wearing a shirt or jacket, but your footwear will generally remain the same.

If you are barefoot or wearing socks, your feet are in a relaxed state, unlike in the office when you wear shoes, so there is no harm in blood flow. However, by paying a little more attention to your feet, you can make teleworking more comfortable and also expect to work more efficiently.

From here on, we will introduce items that will make your feet more comfortable while you are working remotely and sitting for long periods of time, and will help improve blood circulation, prevent cold, and increase work efficiency.

1. Sandal Slippers: Activate your toes just by wearing them

When you sit down and work for long periods of time, do you ever find that blood flow from the knees down is reduced, causing your legs to swell and get cold?

It would be good to get up from your seat and move your legs regularly, but it's easy to forget when you're busy or engrossed in your work.

In such cases, we recommend sandal-style slippers, which stimulate your feet just by wearing them.

Sandal-style slippers are worn by placing the thong between the big toe and index toe, and you must constantly grip the thong with light pressure from your toes to prevent the slipper from slipping off. This stimulates the movement of your toes just by wearing them.

Of course, walking while wearing them is effective, but even when you cross your legs or move your legs, your toes naturally tense up to prevent the slippers from slipping off, so just wearing them is enough of a stimulation.

In addition, the space between your big toe and index finger, which normally goes uncontacted, is stimulated, making it easier to focus your attention on your toes and moving your other toes.

Unlike regular slippers or shoes, the middle, ring, and little fingers are completely free, making it easy for each finger to move.

Moving your toes can help improve blood flow to your feet, and it is said that "using your toes properly activates the brain," so moving your toes stimulates the brain, which can help improve your work efficiency.

UCHINO's sandal-style slippers are made from a towel material that is comfortable to the touch and highly absorbent, so they feel great on your toes and the soles of your feet and are excellent at absorbing sweat.

Furthermore, under the supervision of Professor Miyanaga, an assistant professor at Tokyo University of the Arts who is an expert in artistic anatomy and a medical doctor, the shape and materials have been designed from an ergonomic perspective, making it easy to walk in.

This item is especially recommended for hot seasons as it does not get stuffy and is highly absorbent.

According to one theory, it also has an effect on the development of a child's brain, and using the toes during childhood, when the nervous system is developing, improves concentration and thinking ability. There is even a method known as "zori education," in which children are made to wear sandals with straps during their childhood.

2. Arch fitter sandals stimulate your foot pressure points just by wearing them

We also recommend arch fitter sandals, which have a massaging effect just by wearing them.

These sandals constantly stimulate certain acupressure points, providing a powerful massage effect as you walk, but simply wearing them also gently stimulates the arch of the foot, making them a recommended item for stimulating your feet while working from home.

Cold weather reduces work efficiency

During hot seasons, we often work with air conditioning on, but when you use air conditioning to cool the room, cold air accumulates around your feet, causing them to get cold.

The ankles are especially susceptible to getting cold. When the ankles get cold, blood flow decreases, which not only makes you feel cold and uncomfortable, but also affects your ability to think.

Poor circulation is generally thought to be a problem unique to women, but it is not unrelated to men either; it is said that there are also men who are at risk of developing coldness and are unaware that their hands and feet are cold.

There may be many people who are unaware that their work efficiency is being affected by cold hands and feet.

As the old saying goes, "A cool head and warm feet" suggests, keeping your head cool and your feet warm is said to be the most effective way to increase brain activity and relax.

3. Leg warmers: Improve your work efficiency just by wearing them

Leg warmers are commonly worn in cold seasons to prevent your ankles from getting cold, but when you spend time indoors in air-conditioned rooms in hot seasons or when you sit for long periods of time while working from home, they can not only prevent you from getting cold, but also promote blood flow.

This is thought to be particularly effective in situations where you have to sit and work for long periods of time in an air-conditioned room during the summer.

It is said that warming the ankles has the same effect as walking or moving your feet, which increases blood flow, and it is also said that increasing blood flow to the legs can affect brain function.

In fact, research has shown that wearing leg warmers and keeping your ankles warm can improve your ability to calculate, remember, and make judgments, so they are thought to be the best item for increasing the efficiency of teleworking.

However, that doesn't mean just any leg warmer will do.

If the fit is poor, you cannot expect sufficient heat retention. Conversely, if it is too tight, it will feel oppressive and be stressful to wear, and in severe cases, it may even restrict blood flow.

That's why we recommend Ion Doctor's leg warmers.

It fits snugly without feeling too tight, and is fluffy and comfortable to wear. What's more, it has a higher heat retention effect than regular cotton-filled leg warmers.

It has also been confirmed that wearing it promotes blood flow.

Summary

Make teleworking more comfortable and improve your work efficiency by making good use of slippers that invigorate your feet just by putting them on, and leg warmers that are expected to improve your work efficiency just by wearing them.