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Tag: walking
5 Ways to Counteract Sitting at Work
Five Ways to Counteract Sitting at Work
1. Micro-breaks
Eye breaks – every 20 minutes spend 20 seconds focusing your eyes on something 20 feet away from you (the 20 – 20 – 20 exercise). You should also blink the eyes a few times to lubricate them.
Deep breathing with an overhead stretch (sitting or standing). Interlace the fingers. Take a deep breath in as you raise your hands overhead and turn the palms towards the ceiling, looking upwards slightly. Repeat 3 times.
2. Walking breaks
Once every 30 to 60 minutes move away from your desk and walk briskly around the office. These short periods of activity that are simply part of your daily routine are known as ‘incidental exercise’. They are useful for preventing stagnation of the circulation. They help to raise your metabolic rate. There are many apps available to help remind you to get out of your chair.
You may simply get up, walk to another room and drink a glass of water or use the bathroom. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you stop working either. The break could be used, for example, to discuss something with a colleague or use the photocopier. Walking or jogging on the spot can provide an additional boost for your circulation. A short but brisk walk during the lunch break is another possibility.
3. Walking meetings and walking phone calls
Standing or walking during meetings helps increase activity level and lifts metabolic rate. If you use a mobile phone at work, make sure you have earphones with an inbuilt microphone. This way you can remain mobile while talking with colleagues or clients.
4. Walk to work
If you live too far from work to walk there, try parking your car further away and walking for the last 10 or 20 minutes. Taking public transport usually involves walking to and from the train or bus, which could be an improvement on taking your car. Research shows that we need an absolute minimum of 150 minutes a week of cardio-vascular exercise. This can be made up of any blocks of exercise that are at least 10 minutes long.
5. Active computer work stations and fit desks
Active work stations and fitdesks are a fantastic way to increase activity levels during the working day. Treadmill work stations allow you walk while you work. Cubii is an under desk elliptical that you can use while you work, without your knees hitting the desk. It has bluetooth connectivity so you can keep track of how far you have pedaled on your phone. Here is an interesting article that compares cycling desks with treadmill desks. The treadmill desks are more expensive but don’t interfere as much with productivity and the ability to work on a computer.
Stretches you can do at your desk
Stretches at work are helpful for reducing muscular tension and feelings of stiffness.
The following stretches can be done without leaving the vicinity of your desk. They target the most common places people feel tension after being at a computer.
READ OUR DISCLAIMER Please seek medical advice before commencing exercises, if you have a painful or medical condition.
Spine twist – Sitting in your chair, twist around to one side and look behind you, hold for a few seconds and repeat to the other side. This exercise helps stretch the shoulders, lengthen the back and fills the lungs with air, expanding the chest.
Forward bend – Sitting in your chair, slide your arms down your legs and let you head hang forwards, hold for 2 or 3 breaths in and out, then return to sitting. This gently stretches the lower back if it has been arching or compressed. It may help to help relieve lower back tension.
Pectoral stretch – Stand up, interlace the hands behind your back and raise the arms slightly towards the ceiling. The pectoral muscles at the front of the shoulders often become tight while using a keyboard. This exercise helps to lengthen them.
Back bend standing – Stand up, tighten the buttock muscles, use the hands to support the lower back and gently lean backwards, while looking upwards. Repeat several times without holding. This helps to counteracted a rounded lower back that can occur from slouching.
Stop sign stretch – Stretch one arm out in front of you with your elbow straight and your palm facing forwards, as in a policeman’s stop sign. Use the other hand to gently stretch the fingers back. Hold for a few seconds then repeat on the other side. This forearm stretch helps prevent Golfer’s Elbow (pain on the inside of the elbow).
Forearm stretch – Make a soft fist with one hand and extend it out in front of you, elbow straight. Turn the thumb side of the hand slightly towards the floor. Use the other hand to gently bend the wrist downwards. Do not do this stretch if you feel strain in the wrist. You may feel a stretch in the forearm if the extensor muscles which attach to the outside of the elbow are tight. Tight wrist extensors can lead to Tennis Elbow.
Also refer to our article “The Risks of Prolonged Sitting”
The Risks of Prolonged Sitting
The Risks of Prolonged Sitting
A business woman stretching at her computer Prolonged sitting at a computer endangers your health
Do you feel stiff and sore after prolonged sitting at a computer for a few hours?
Along with poor posture, sitting at a computer can contribute to Occupational Overuse Injuries. These were previously called Repetitive Strain Injuries or RSI. Neck and shoulder pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and lower back pain are common in people who sit too much. Screen brightness and constant focal length can also cause eye strain. Many businesses now offer ergonomic work station assessments to help reduce these workplace injuries.
How many hours do you sit each day?
Try this calculation.
- Consider your morning routine on a average work day. How many hours are you sitting before you arrive at work? Include time spent sitting during breakfast, mobile phone or computer use, watching television and traveling to work by car, bus or train.
- Estimate the number of hours you sit at work each day. Include your lunch break.
- Finally consider the time you spend sitting between leaving work and going to bed. This includes sitting while you travel home, use your computer, mobile or TV. It might also include sitting while you read, eat or just relax.
- Add the 3 numbers together. You may be surprised at the total number of hours you are sitting on the average work day.
Research reveals serious health risks of prolonged sitting
Stiffness, pain and tension may not be the most serious risks faced by people in sedentary occupations. There is now scientific evidence that prolonged sitting is even more harmful.
An Australian government site warns that sitting for more than 11 hours per day can increase the risk of death within the next 3 years by 40 percent. Regular prolonged sitting is related to a higher incidence of diabetes, heart disease, obesity, fatty liver disease and some forms of cancer. The risks may also be present for those who exercise regularly before or after work.
Another large study at was done at Columbia University. This research involved almost 8,000 participants. Those who sat for at least 13 hours a day combined with multiple sedentary bouts of 60 to 90 minutes had nearly twice the risk of dying within 4 years.
This highlights the need to get up from your chair at least once an hour.
Metabolic syndrome
The main problem with sitting is that it is sedentary. You may be in one position for several hours, with little muscular activity. This results in stagnation of the circulation, pooling of blood in the legs. During periods of inactivity there if often shallow breathing or breath holding.
Your body is always burning energy. Even during sleep the body requires energy in order to carry out processes such as digestion and tissue repair. The metabolic rate is the number of kilojoules (calories) the the body burns per hour. When you sit for long periods the metabolic rate is low.
A reduced metabolic rate means that relatively fewer calories per hour are being used by the body. A possible outcome is Metabolic Syndrome. This condition involves a collection of signs and symptoms:
- increased blood pressure
- high cholesterol
- elevated blood sugar levels
- weight gain (especially around the abdomen).
Getting up regularly for a short brisk walk can help raise the metabolic rate. Research shows following vigorous exercise that the metabolic rate remains higher for up to 24 hours afterwards.
Mental health problems and prolonged sitting
A further problem with prolonged sitting is its effect on mental health. Research is now starting to show that it is related to higher levels of depression and anxiety. It is also known that regular exercise can be an effective treatment for mild to moderate depression.
Read about how the Feldenkrais Method can help mental health.
How to counteract prolonged sitting
The best way to counteract these problems is to break up your sitting with frequent short periods of activity. This so called ‘incidental exercise’ can help to counteract the health risks of sitting.
Breaks from sitting in front of a screen are vital for the musculo-skeletal, cardio vascular and respiratory systems as well as for weight management and mental health. The question is, how can these be incorporated into a busy schedule?
Active work stations and active offices – way of the future
Some offices are now creating activity centres or outdoor exercise areas. These are places where staff can participate in short periods of vigorous exercise, for example one to two minutes of cycling on a stationary bike or walking on a treadmill.
Sit stand desks are becoming common. Although there is more muscle use in standing, it is still relatively sedentary and can cause pooling of blood in the legs.
As a result, active work stations are currently being developed. These including cycling computer work stations and treadmill computer work stations. In the future perhaps we will all have the option of being more active, even while working on a computer for much of the day.
5 Ways to Counteract Sitting at Work
Cross Ankles to Improve Alignment, Balance and Walking
Align your ankles, knees and hips and improve your balance and coordination with the Feldenkrais Method. These simple exercises done gentle and mindfully can help improve your gait and put more spring in your step when you go for a walk.