Human bodies are not designed for this modern world and one of the most simplest things what have the ability to disrupt our quality of life is sitting down!!!! These days people sit for 8-10 hours a day.. that's more times a day sitting than sleeping.
Sitting in a chair all day at work is totally destroying our hips and back. It is becoming more and more evident that sitting for a prolonged amount of time increases your chances of succumbing to joint problems, a chronic disease or even an early death.
So what do we do about this? It’s not like we can just avoid sitting. Those standing desks seem like a good idea until you try to stand for 8 hours… your heels are bruised, back is aching, and you feel even worse than you did before when sitting. They have now brought out a treadmill desk but who has the money and a boss that will buy one just so you don’t get a back ache??
So what do we do? How can we look after ourselves when the modern world is designed for sitting with no concern for your long term health?
A few things I do recommend to try increase your movement each day are:
– Always take the stairs
– Get water or use the bathroom that’s furthest away from your desk
– Park a few blocks from work and walk the rest of the way
– Get outside during your lunch break
- Make your back stronger.. we are all hunched these days... so do chin ups... improve your back muscles and your posture...
– Stretch! Even 10 minutes a day, makes the world of difference. - Get a foam roller.. I don't encourage people to spend money.. but this is a great investment..
– Bought myself a kneeling chair, this has dramatically improved my posture while sitting (kneeling) at the computer.
– I have raised the computer screen to eye height so I don’t have to look down - Go for a walk every morning.... not to lose weight.. but to move, meditate, breathe in the fresh air and help with your body's circulation and give your body energy to start the day and continue on...