Sitting All Day is Killing You (Part 2)
I didn’t want to overwhelm you with the stuff that being shackled to your desk could be doing to you, so I decided to break it up into two weeks.
as I continue to break down some of the affects long periods of sitting can lead to…
Topside Troubles:
FOGGY BRAIN
Moving muscles pump fresh blood and oxygen through the brain and trigger the release of all sorts of brain/mood enhancing chemicals. When we are sedentary for a long time, everything slows, including brain function. Think about how alert and alive we feel after a little exercise and movement.
STRAINED NECK
While diligently working on our computers we are usually craning our necks forward toward a keyboard and monitor. Some of us are slouched down in a chair or on the couch craning the neck down with lap tops. We may also be tilting our heads to cradle a phone while typing. This can strain the cervical vertebrae and lead to permanent imbalances. Wear a headset while on the phone and set your desk up so your arms are about 90 degrees and you are not looking too far up or down.
DRY EYES
Dr. Jeffrey R. Anshel of Corporate Vision Consulting says we tend to suffer an increase in eyestrain. “Your eyes are not designed to keep focusing and moving repetitively across a computer screen,” he says. Did I mention cell phones are small computers also which we seem to always have in our hands. We are also looking down walking with phones and guess what that strains the neck also! Oh and yeah its a bit dangerous.
Oh My Aching Back:
INFLEXIBLE SPINE
When we sit for a long time, discs are squashed unevenly causing collagen to harden around supporting tendons and ligaments. Listen there is nothing sexy about looking like the hunch back of Notre Damn and its definitely not good on your spine.
DISK DAMAGE
As a fitness professional I witness countless people who enter the gym with low back concerns. All this sitting put us at greater risk for herniated lumbar disks. Yup you can get a herniated disk from sitting down too much. Which can also lead to nerve damage like tingling sensations down the legs or sciatica issues.
Scary, right? But don’t worry there are things you can do to combat these problems.
How To Take Better Care of our Bodies:
- Get up and walk around 1 time an hour. Set an alarm to remind you if needed.
- Take a 20 minute eye break. Look off in the distance and rest your eyes by focusing on something else for at least 20seconds.
- Do a little Cat and Cow. Either on your hands and knees or standing slightly bent over with your hands on your bottom of your thigh. Breath as you arch and round the spine for at least 30 seconds. Inhale into Cow and Exhale into Cat pose.
- Take the stairs to get blood flowing in your body and the heart pumping.
- Do hip stretches at your desk, you can use your chair also to prop your foot onto. Really focus on the hip flexors.
- Take calls while moving… pace the floor or the halls, go in a conference room if you work in a cubicle.
- If possible get a desk that you can stand and work at. If its Adjustable from seated to standing that’s even better.
- Sit on something bouncy like a stability ball to help you engage the core more. Be sure to bounce a little and move around. You can even stretch over the ball at times.
- Go take a class during lunch at a near by gym.
- Don’t have time for a class – Take a 30 minute walk during your lunch break. Pick up your lunch then come back to eat it. But don’t eat and work!
So get up, get moving and why not throw on a little Rhianna while you’re at it!
