It can be startling how much time can pass while you sit working at your bench.  One minute you have finished your morning coffee, and before you know it, you glance at the clock and find to your amazement that it is almost lunchtime.  While it is great to be able to sit focused for long periods of time, working at your bench day in and day out can take it's toll on your health.  Here are some tips to keep healthy:

Stretch Out

Take time once an hour or so to get up and stretch.  This will not only ease any tension in your muscles, but will fend off fatigue and cramp.  Sitting for long periods of time hunched over your bench can cause your muscles to contort into unnatural positions and result in stiffness and soreness.  Studies have also shown that people who sit at desk leaning slightly forward may be putting strain on their internal organs, causing long term damage.

Move Around

Since you are up stretching anyway, spend five minutes walking around your studio, doing some star jumps or any other form of exercise.  This will keep your blood flowing and give your heart a kick start.  Unless you have a raised height bench (where your working area is just below eye level), the chances are that you share the same elevated risk of heart disease and stroke as office workers who sit at a desk all day.  This is because your brain is aware of your mind working, while your body remains mostly still.  It reads this discrepancy as a signal that you are in danger, but cannot act, so produces excess hormones to try and engage your fight-or-flight responses.  These hormones cause stress to the heart that over a long period of time can leave your heart vulnerable to cardiac arrest.

Sitting for a long period of time without moving can also cause deep vein thrombosis, a condition where a blood clot forms in slow moving blood before breaking free to travel around the body in arteries.  These clots can reach the lungs, causing a pulmonaryembolism.

Eyes Up

If you are doing a lot of close work, be sure to use a magnifying lens or eye glasses if needed.  To prevent eye strain, look away from your work every thirty minutes or so.  To give your eyes a rest, try looking into the distance, or at something green.  The color green is the most soothing on the eyes.  Another bonus is that green has been shown to instill a sense of calm and mental clarity, as well as creative thought, so you might return to your work with a renewed inspiration.

Back Basics

Make sure that your chair has sufficient back support and allows you to work comfortably.  If you are guilt of drooping your shoulder forward while you work, think about wearing a special harness with weights in the back designed to improve your posture.  I have heard of some crafty jewelers making their own out of fabric, foam padding, barley and lavender.  They can even be put in the microwave to act as a heat pack or a bit of warmth as you work through the cold winter months!

A great article about the ergonomics of working at a jewelry bench can be found at Ganoskin, which has some great tips on choosing just the right chair for your bench.