I’m sure we have all heard before just how important it is to have an active lifestyle. How to make time in your schedule for a daily workout instead of spending your time as a couch potato glued to the tv. All of this is true, as the sedentary lifestyle is proven to leave a major impact on our overall health, but is that daily workout doing enough for us?
With the advancement of technology and pretty much everything we need at our fingertips, not only has life become easier to manage, and connecting with the world at large now takes seconds, but it has also made us, what I like to call, the computer generation. How many of us are spending 9-10 hours a day, sitting in front of a computer screen? This has become a societal norm, that not many of us think twice about when we are offered a dream job or running our own business. This is how the world works today! Gone are the days of taking out a letter head and writing out an important document, then taking a 10 minute walk to the post office to mail off your letter. Today, we can virtually sit in the same position day in and day out, get work done, and be productive with a few clicks of a button. The most activity our bodies are getting throughout the day are the movements of our hands, overused to operate our advanced technology, the neurons firing in our brain as we think, plan and organize, accompanied by some shallow breathing and the expanding and deflating of our rib cage.
Our bodies, were the very first technological creations! And they were created for motion, activity and functionality. In fact, the opposite of this, static, lying, and sitting, were seen in days gone by, as a sign of illness, or impending death. Today, when you realize that you have not moved out of the same position for 4 hours at a time, we grab a chuckle, and consider ourselves having been extremely productive and focused. Now all that may be true, but if you take a deeper look at the prolonged effects on our bodies, that sitting in a sedentary position, day in and day out has, as the number one activity of our super functional bodies has on our health, bodily functions, mental state and life expectancy, then more of us would be doing a lot more to kick our bodies into motion.
There are some of you who are probably thinking, well, I work long hours in an office, and I can’t really change the reality that I need to be behind a computer all day in order to get my job done, but I make sure that I get in a daily workout to get my blood flowing, and I feel great afterwards. Now this was what most of us believe is enough to keep ourselves and our bodies in good shape, but a recent study by the WHO (World Health Organization) has shown that the effects of a 1 hour daily workout on the body, are not enough to counteract the negative effects created by prolonged sitting. So although I am obviously not telling you to give up your daily workout (keep it going), this is something that we need to give some thought to… What are some of the negative effects on our bodies that are created from our less than optimal daily lifestyle of sitting? And what can we do on a daily basis, that is tangible and realistic to counteract this effects, because no one is going to be throwing away their computer so quickly.
The WHO states that physical inactivity and prolonged sitting has moved up to 4th place in the leading cause of death, impacting on and increasing the prevalence of lifestyle diseases, which are todays number one cause of illness and morbidity. So how is “little ol me” being affected by sitting in the office all day?
Let’s start on the circulatory system, of course our blood is still being pumped around our body, but at a slower rate, making the removal of waste and arrival of oxygen and build up slower. Toxic build up can lead to a variety of diseases and lower circulation of oxygen has impacts on our blood pressure and heart health, as well as mental processing, memory, and thought patterns, making it hard for us to concentrate. Let’s move onto the digestive system with our blood moving slowly throughout our body, our hormones which essentially are the controllers of all of our bodily functions are working at a slower pace, and the breakdown of our food, absorption of nutrients and elimination of the excess is all slowed down. This can lead to digestive problems, insulin abnormalities which may ultimately cause type 2 diabetes, and of course obesity.
Now these are some of the things that you may not have been aware of, but of course there are also the physical aches and pains that are hard to avoid with prolonged sitting with a poor posture and lack of support. It starts with the muscles in the neck, being put under excessive strain, or craning to get the right view of the screen. Sitting with your back unsupported can lead to lower back pain and discomfort as the muscles and ligaments in the pelvic region are left to contend with unnatural positions and zero movement. Our shoulders bear the brunt of the sitting posture, with tension build up and compensating for poor positioning. Our spine has spongy discs between each vertebrae that take up fresh blood, oxygen and nutrients as we move to replenish themselves, making flexibility and movement easy. Sitting in a fixed position for a long time, can inhibit this, leaving the spinal muscles and muscles in other areas of the body, feeling tired and stiff.
So what can we do about it? If giving up the 10 hour a day SIT is not realistic, then we need to make adjustments so that our bodies can find relief, take a break, and be optimally supported when they are sitting for long periods of time!
- Taking frequent breaks – getting up from your desk for at least 10 minutes every hour can be extremely effective if done throughout the day. Make yourself a trigger or set an alarm that reminds you to stand up and take a walk in the office or get some fresh air.
- Set up your desk in a strategic way that encourages you to stand up in order to get your files, or make a phone call, instead of having everything within arm’s reach, leaving you with no incentive to get up.
- If you can, encourage yourself to do some of your tasks while standing or walking – take a brainstorming meeting outside where you walk around the office grounds, you’ll be amazed at how it helps get the creative juices flowing.
- Shift your mind and your awareness to your body and jump at the moments that allow you to get up, be it getting the managers signature in person and having to walk across to his office, or instead of sending an email about something, walk over to your colleague and chat it over.
- Spend lunch time away from your desk – in fact if it isn’t a rule in your office already, you should encourage it, that no eating should take place at your desk. This will encourage you to get up and change positions and even have time for some social interaction.
- If you can’t structure your office in a way that you can do some of your tasks standing and sitting is really the only option, then try sitting on a ball instead of the office chair. The ball can help you to get a great posture, while working on your core stability as you sit. It also allows you to bounce around and use your leg muscles to support your sitting. Just make sure that your desk height is adjusted in order to avoid straining.
- Sitting is a reality in our world today, where we aren’t people of the field labouring away. So it’s important that if we are going to sit that we get it right, as this will help to decrease the negative effects of prolonged sitting. Take a look at this short clip for optimal posturing that has proven to be very effective.
Get your posture right! Book a consultation with us and learn how to hold your body and set up your space to prevent fatigue, strain, muscle tension, aches and pains. Be in touch for more information about how you can bring activity into your day while minimizing the effects caused by prolonged sitting.