Bone Facts You’ve Likely Never Heard THE SECRETS OF OUR SKELETONS REVEALED
Our bodies are made up of bones and joints that we rarely acknowledge unless we feel pain or are recovering from an injury. We have no reason to worry about them when we can move comfortably, but that doesn’t mean they’re unimportant. Without bones, we would be squishy blobs on the ground, unable to move, eat, speak, or do anything else. Let’s explore three lesser-known facts about our skeletons, no bones about it! We have fewer bones now than we had as children. Humans are born with 275–300 bones, the malleable framework for our tiny infant bodies, but that drops to 206 bones once we reach adulthood. Where did they go? Childbirth requires flexible membranes, and hard, sturdy bones would make the process painful for any expectant mother. Many baby bones are nothing more than cartilage, and as we grow, our bones fuse and harden through ossification, leaving us with around 100 fewer bones. However, bone density and strength continue to change as we age. Stronger bones replace what we broke. Breaking a bone is a scary experience, regardless of age. Arm bones are the most commonly broken
among adults, making up nearly half of all cases, whereas collarbones are the most common for children. When you break a bone, you may believe it needs time to return to its original position and shape, but that’s not exactly how it works. Instead, blood vessels immediately form in the area of a broken bone to advance the healing process. After three weeks, collagen takes the place of the blood vessels, starts to harden, and keeps any broken pieces in place. Over time, the pieces fuse to form a new bone, often stronger than the original. Male and female skeletons are similar. When you compare men’s and women’s skeletons, they share a few characteristics. The femur is the longest and strongest bone, and the stapes in our middle ear is the smallest and lightest bone in both bodies. Both skeletons have 54 bones in the hands, fingers, and wrists. The only major difference is in the pelvis. A woman’s pelvis’s shape, size, and angle are optimally designed for childbirth.
Fix Your Home Office Fatigue Simple Tweaks to Boost Comfort and Focus
connect an external keyboard to support better alignment. This simple adjustment can do wonders for your back and neck. Next, take a look at your chair. If it’s a repurposed kitchen or living room chair, it’s probably not offering the back support you need. Big box stores offer affordable office chairs, but you can also improve what you have if you’re on a tight budget. A cushion or rolled towel behind your back adds support, and a small footrest or box under your feet can reduce pressure on your legs. Move more, strain less. Even the best chair won’t help much if you sit in it all day without a break. Often, the key to staying comfortable while working from home is movement. Set reminders to get up and stretch or take a short walk regularly throughout
the day. Shifting from a seated to a standing work position can also improve circulation and reduce tension. Eye strain is another common issue, especially for people working on screens all day. Practicing the 20-20-20 rule can help. Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This gives your eyes a break while shifting your posture. Don’t overlook the importance of good lighting, either. Poor lighting causes eye strain and headaches. Working in natural light is ideal, but a quality table lamp with soft, even lighting is the next best thing. With these easy adjustments, you can create a workspace that works with you instead of against you. Once you do, it becomes easier to stay focused and energized during your workday.
Many people work remotely these days, making a home office a necessity. If your work setup was thrown together quickly, you’re not alone. While kitchen tables, living room chairs, and makeshift laptop stands work fine as temporary solutions, they’re not great for long-term use. Over time, the little discomforts add up, and you need to make changes. Fortunately, a few simple, affordable adjustments can be very helpful. Start with the basics. If you work on a laptop, it’s probably sitting too low. This can lead to poor posture and neck strain, but there’s an easy fix. Prop the laptop on a stack of books or an inexpensive stand and
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