Last week we established some reasons not to sit too long, including its toll on our backs. We may also have issues with neck pain, headaches, and shoulder tension. By the way, chiropractors are experts at helping with these. See our related post on keeping the body balanced.
Let’s face reality here – even when we exercise regularly we are probably going to do a lot of sitting and standing still for work or hobbies. So today we’re covering how to combat this on a daily basis.
MOVE OFTEN
‘Nuff said, right? The way our bodies work, we need to move often and move in different ways. Walking is good, but so are the other varied movements our bodies can manage: bending, twisting, climbing, squatting, even crawling.
When you choose an activity to keep yourself moving, remember to use variety. Doing the same thing over and over can actually cause repetitive trauma, where an area like a joint or muscle is used too much and gets strained, fatigued, or inhibited. You can avoid overuse injuries by being creative and choosing a bunch of different things you like that will keep it interesting. For more thoughts on movement see our previous post here.
If you can’t manage to leave your desk for a walk break, try this simple option: just stand up and sit back down. Believe it or not, though you’re not moving much it is still a lot better than sitting in the same position with no stretching of those tight muscles.
Cliffhanger – next week we’ll get into the exercises that make this all a little easier.
NEXT WEEK:
The Answer To “Bad” Posture (the art of keeping it all together)