If you want to combat pain & strain at your desk, improve your posture and flexibility, boost your health (including burning energy) and productivity, all while you work… listen up!
This piece of info can revolutionise your workday and only takes a few minutes…
And if you read to the end, I’ll share with you the most effective techniques I use with my clients to improve strength and endurance in your ‘good posture’ muscles to reduce pain and improve posture.
Now, Drumroll please…
Here’s the quickest, most effective and research-proven way to improve your health at your desk…
By doing 2 Minutes of Movement, half hourly while you’re sitting!
Why? Because it drastically boosts your Metabolism!
So what is your Metabolism and why is it a big deal?
Technically, the word ‘Metabolism’ describes all of the biochemical reactions in your body. It’s how you take in nutrients and oxygen and use them to fuel everything you do.
Metabolism includes how the cells in your body perform physical activities you control eg (your movments), activities you can’t control (eg heat rate, digestion) and how you store extra energy for later (eg store fat).
That mightn’t seem like a big deal, but believe me… how fast or slow your metabolism is greatly affects your health!
Most people are totally (or at least partially) unaware that sitting at a desk slows down their metabolism.
So much so, that after an hour sitting at your desk it’s barely above your metabolic rate when you sleep!
Repetitively sitting more than an hour each day without regular (hourly) ‘movement breaks’, therefore puts you at a far greater risk of ill health and developing serious chronic diseases.
It also means it makes you much more likely to store more fat… none of us want that!
So, this week I’m challenging you to move for 2 minutes every half hour at your desk- or at least every hour- to boost your metabolism and burn more energy before it becomes fat!
How best to move?
Well, you can take a quick trip to the bathroom, grab a coffee or head over to a colleagues’ desk…
OR you can move at your desk and do some amazing exercises while you work!
Try these simple things…
1) Clasp your hands behind your head and open your elbows wide. Then lean back over your backrest and take some deep breaths deep down into your lungs.
Open your elbows a little wider if it’s comfortable to get more flexbility in your upper back, neck and shoulders. Repeat 3 times for a few breaths each.
2) Place your hands into a fist and put them on your seat just behind your hips (if they don’t fit, put your hands on the arms on your chair). With shoulders back and chest up, take some weight through your arms to lift your buttocks off the chair a little.
This switches on vital posture muscles and can me quite pain relieving. Just don’t let your shoulders slouch forwards and only raise your butt as far as comfortable. Hold for 10 seconds if you can and try 3-5 repetitions.
3) Pelvic tilting. Tucking your tail under and then lifting it gently in the air while you sit can loosen your back so it doesn’t get stiff while you sit.
4) Leg extensions. Straighten your knees out, one at a time, in front of you, pulling your toes up towards your head. Repeat 10 times each leg.
This gets your circulation going and stretches your calves so they don’t stiffen while you sit. Win-win!
So, commit to joining me in the challenge to move for 2 minutes, every half hour at your desk over the next week… and going forwards… and give my favourite exercises a try!
If you’d like to know my ‘5 Steps to Combat Pain & Strain, Improve Posture + Boost your Health at your desk in 2 mins’ Click on the link HERE and I’ll send them to you.
Originally published at kymsiddonsphysio.com.au