Frequently Asked Questions

This page contains answers to common questions handled by our support staff, along with some tips and tricks that we have found useful and presented here as questions.

Q: What is Office Athlete®

A: The Office Athlete® software was designed to support the medically recognized belief that periodic micro-breaks will reduce the risk factors faced by those who work on computers. The medical and ergonomic functionality of the Office Athlete® along with all information was prepared by Dr. Joel Press, chief-of-staff at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and medical director of the Center for Spine, Sports, and Occupational Rehabilitation.

Q: How does Office Athlete® Work?

A: The Office Athlete® software system is a popular stretch and exercise program for corporate, small business, and home computer users. The software prompts users during data entry, graphic design, and other computer-intensive office environments to take guided “micro-breaks.”

Short, animated demonstrations of important hand, neck, and shoulder stretches are triggered on a Windows PC by customizable settings that track keystrokes and mouse movements of individual workers. “Micro-breaks” have been medically recommended to prevent workplace injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, that can be related to computer usage.

Q: Is there more information about "Micro-breaks?"

A: The goal of the Office Athlete® is to unlock the computer user from the static work posture that they normally assume, with only minor interruption to their work flow.

The default break recommendation is at least one stretch to be performed for 20 seconds every half hour, or after a measured amount of work output (i.e., a set number of keystrokes, mouse movements, or mouse clicks.) The user can customize their breaks by selecting specific stretches, by changing the length of each break; and/or by altering the frequency of the breaks.

Q: Will Office Athlete® work with all operating systems?

A: Office Athlete® Version 5.0 is proudly designed for Windows® operating systems running .NET Framework 2.0 or higher, including the following specific versions: Windows XP and Windows Vista.

Please check back for information about future versions for other operating systems.

Q: What are the hardware requirements?

A: Office Athlete® Version 5.0 works best with the following minimal system configurations:

• PC with Intel Pentium II 400MHZ (or equivalent)
  • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition or Professional with SP2
  • Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2002/2004 with SP2
  • Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003
  • 256MB RAM
  • 18MB of available hard disk space

--or--

• PC with Intel Pentium II 800MHZ (or equivalent)
  • Microsoft Windows Vista
  • 512MB RAM
  • 18MB of available hard disk space

--and--

• Installation of .NET Framework 2.0 or higher. (Requires a minimum of 280MB of available hard disk space.

Q: Does Office Athlete interfere with the workflow of the user?

A: No, Office Athlete® has monitoring functions that work behind the scenes. When the user triggers a break based on his actual work, the OA break message window quietly slides up in the lower right corner of their computer screen, without covering up or stealing focus from any work areas.

The user activates--or refuses--the OA break message window by selecting a button in the window. If the user ignores the break message window, it will disappear on its own.

Q: How does a user know which settings are best?

A: The number of stretches that should be performed varies from person to person, from work environment to work environment, and from day to day. The default answer is to take a brief rest after 30 minutes of computer work. To help teach people when to recognize when to take breaks, the Office Athlete® contains a chart of the user’s computer usage.

By reviewing the chart, the user will know how to set the counters to match their work habits, so that the Office Athlete® will remind them to take breaks when the amount of work they perform approaches the amount of work they normally perform in a 30-minute period.

No stretch or series of stretches is more correct than others. Therefore, the user can and should try different stretches. If a user has difficulty performing a particular stretch, they can refer to the “Stretch Instructions and Alternatives” section in the Office Athlete® help file to learn alternative ways of performing the stretches. The user should perform the stretches they find most comfortable.

To help the user select the appropriate stretches, the Office Athlete® describes what muscle groups each stretch affects. This information is presented under the 'Stretches' tab in the 'Settings' window.

Q: Why are there only nine stretches?

A: The consulting doctors reviewed over 220 potential stretches to select the best ones to stretch all the major muscle groups in the upper body, and yet still be performed by the majority of people while seated at their desks. The doctors narrowed these 220 potential exercises to eight muscle stretches and one “stretch” that reminds people to rest their eyes.

Since the stretches can be performed while seated, people who are shy can avoid the potentially embarrassing situation of being seen stretching in their cubicles.

Q: Is Office Athlete® difficult to install and use?

A: Even users with limited software experience will find Office Athlete® an easy program to install and use. Basic instructions on what the Office Athlete® software is, and how to set it for a user’s particular work habits are displayed as dialogues during the installation process.

A full user’s guide is built in, and context sensitive help is available. Help files include details about Ergonomics, injury prevention, and workplace set-up tips.

Q: Can Office Athlete® be distributed to users on a network?

A: Yes! Version 5.0 includes a "Manager Console" Utility to make network distribution and license control simple, and provides optional anonymous user reports for management review.

Q: What about User Privacy?

A: Office Athlete® Version 5.0 encrypts all individual user statistics for security, and no information which can identify an individual user or computer is ever collected or transmitted.

Now Office Athlete® Version 5.0 works even more quietly behind the scenes. New slider notifications never steal focus from opened work windows. Privacy features for the individual users have been enhanced.

New Office Athlete® Version 5.0 is only there when it's needed.