The Impact of Sitting All Day – Part 6
Studies have shown that an alert body and active lifestyle boosts not just productivity, but also happiness and satisfaction levels. There is now an explosion of research studies that demonstrate the harmful effects of sitting all day, which I have covered in past blog posts.
- the impact on muscles (in part 1)
- the general impact on the body (in part 2)
- the impact on your heart and the increase risk of cardiovascular disease (in part 3)
- the increased risk of certain cancers (in part 4)
In my last blog post, “Taking a Break“, I explored the reasons for taking a break and looked at the latest research on the length of break you need to take and the frequency.
So now I want to focus on strategies to get you moving…
Use an Exercise Ball for a Chair
Unlike sitting in a chair, sitting on a exercise ball engages your core muscles and helps improve your balance & flexibility. Occasionally bouncing can also help your body interact with gravity to a greater degree than sitting on a stationary chair.
Use the Stairs
Walk up and down stairs, rather than take the lifts. Even if you only walk up or down one flight of stairs and then take the lift the rest of the way it will have a positive impact on your health.
Walk & Talk Meeting
If you have an informal meeting with a colleague why not suggest a walk & talk meeting, weather permitting you could always go outside and get some fresh air too!
Pedometer
Using a pedometer will help you asses how many steps you take throughout the day. Taking a roundabout way to your desk, taking the stairs or walking to the next tube station as part of your commute will help you increase the number of steps you take daily.
Exercise while you Sit at your desk
An Amercian start up company, FitnessCubed, has come up with Cubii, an under-desk elliptical trainer that allows you to do basic exercise while you sit at a standard office desk. (It requires no changes to your existing desk set up.) They have also produced a mobile app that allows you to track your workout and you can also share your work out results – so you could even hold an inter-office competition.
Related Posts
Do you know how to protect yourself from a leading cause of disability?
The injury to a brian caused by stroke can lead to problems with talking, seeing, thinking, remembering, moving, eating, swallowing and more. It's no wonder stroke is a leading cause of disability in adults worldwide. Here are some lifestyle tips to cut the risk of suffering a stroke:
- Eat at least 3 to 5 services of fruit and vegatables a day - the more the better.
- Exercise most days of the week. Brisk walking for an hour a day five days a week can cut the risk of a stroke in half.
- Maintain a health weight, and especially watch out for abdominal fat.
- Limit alchol to no more than two drinks per day if you drink.
- Eat more grains such as oats, quinoa and brown rice.
- Eat more sources of good fats such as fatty fish, walnuts, flaxseed and chia seeds.
- Destress - psychological stress is a known risk factor for stroke.
The hidden cause of lower back pain
The psoas muscle is a very deep muscle that connects your torso to your legs. It affects your posture and helps you to stabilise your spine. In fact, whether you run, bike, dance, practice yoga, or just hang out on your couch, your psoas muscles are involved. A person suffering from IlioPsoas syndrome may have pain in the hip and thigh region, as well as hip stiffness and in some cases a clicking or snapping hip. Other signs which may indicate an unhappy psoas muscle are:
- Knee pain - if there is no obvious source then it may be your psoas muscle.
- Constipation - a tight psoas muscle can cause or contribute to constipation.
- Menstrual cramps - a tight psoas muscle can put pressure on reproductive organs contributing to menstrual cramps.
Oops I did it again?
In clinic we frequently see clients who had an issue with either their neck or shoulder or their lower back that was resolved then a few weeks or months later they are back with the same issue. So why does this happen? First, it depends upon the client, as human body is unique and the issue. What I want to explain below are some influencing factors: Posture – Because lots of clients come to us in pain, when they walk out of clinic they are very vigilant about their posture. When they start to feel like the issue has been resolved good posture becomes less of a priority. More importantly bad posture creeps up on us slowly – particularly slumping at you desk when you have a tight deadline! Over training – One of the most common questions we get asked, is when “will I be able to go to the gym again?” – clients are always very eager to get back training. If you are unable to train for a while, you need to gentle easy yourself back into training. Over training is when the physical trauma from exercising occurs faster than the body can repair the damage. Overuse – An overuse injury typically stems from: training errors. Training errors can occur when you take on too much physical activity too quickly i.e. when you are training for a marathon you build up your distance and speed too quickly.
