The Cure For the “Sitting Disease” Part Two: Get Moving!

Health experts are now calling sitting a ‘disease’ of our modern world. So if sitting is a disease, how do we beat it? Is there a cure for the sitting disease?

The obvious answer is to sit less and move more. But how can you do this if you work in an office? If you earn your living sitting at a desk, you may think it’s impossible. It’s not. Here are some easy-to-do office solutions to get your blood flowing, keep your body healthy, and help your mind stay alert.

WALK AROUND.

How we sit is how we walk. Don’t find yourself stuck it in a slouched position, get up and reset your body every 20 to 30 minutes. Set a timer, and then walk around the office or around the block. Get a glass of water. Make an excuse to get up and stretch your legs. Instead of sending an email, walk over to your colleague’s desk and talk.

SIT ON A BALL.

Sitting on an exercise ball while you work raises your energy expenditure by 6% versus sitting on a chair. Try it. Not only is it a healthy choice, but it’s fun tool. The Gaiam® Balance Ball Chair is an excellent choice.

STAND UP.

Standing at your desk raises your energy expenditure by 30%. The combination of sitting and standing is even better. A VARIDESK®, allows you to vary your body position during the day.

The revolution of under-desk bikes and elliptical machines are a brilliant new phenomenon, allowing your body to move while sitting. New technology, such as Fit Desk® Under Desk Elliptical, and DeskCycle® Desk Exercise Bike, are transforming the workplace into a healthier environment. A recent study showed that the gentle pedaling movement had improved scores that tested cognitive skills. Exercise helps us perform our jobs better.

RAISE YOUR HEARTRATE.

Jump rope for 3-5 minutes. Do 5 minutes of Jumping Jacks. Throw in 5 minutes of Shadow Boxing. There a lot of ways to get your blood pumping even in a small space. Just go out into the hall, find an open space and do it. Your brain will get a rush of blood and oxygen. You will feel better and think more clearly when you get back to your desk.

Sitting shortens our postural muscles. The longer than we sit, the more our body becomes accustomed to sitting, so that when we finally stand up, we can’t stand up straight anymore. Our heads come forward, our shoulders round, our backs curve into a Big “C”, and we lose mobility.

To combat this, try the following BodyFix Method™ exercises.

Overhead Side Bend And Twist

Active Wall Climbs

 

 

 

Counter Stretch – Chair

Simple Standing Lunge

 

 

 

Seated Spinal Twist – Chair

 

Sitting weakens the postural muscles that hold you up. Your butt muscles and your back muscles become flaccid from prolonged sitting. Without these muscles being strong, you can’t support yourself against the force of gravity. It’s impossible to walk with grace and ease. To stay strong, try the following exercises at your desk.

 

Seated Shoulder Blade Squeezes

 

 

                         Seated Knee Pillow Squeezes

 

 

Standing In-Line Glute Squeezes

 

 

 

Sitting is a more a Dis-Ease than a “Disease”. Don’t let it get you! If you read my last blog, you know that sitting is the cause of many conditions and illnesses. All of them are avoidable just by getting up and moving.

Find a way to incorporate movement into your workday. Move every half-hour. This is not a luxury; it is a necessity. Your body needs to move to fight off diabetes, back pain, heart attacks, and the list goes on. Your brain needs movement to maintain optimal performance, good self esteem, and to fight off dementia. Isn’t that enough reasons to move?

For a complete description of these exercises, fill out the Contact form and we’ll send the program out to you ASAP.

Move it or lose it couldn’t be more to the point. Let’s move.

Anita Goodkind

 

1 comment

Comments are closed.