Make your office a stress-free zone!
It’s not just about decluttering and sorting your inbox – its also advisable to move! Ruth Harrison from Six Physio Harley St offers these words of wisdom to Health & Fitness Magazine.
16th Jan 2015
How can you avoid the health pitfall?
‘The best thing to do to break the negative effects of sitting is to get up and move every so often,’ recommends Ruth
Take part of your lunch break to go for a walk for 20 minutes. This will get the muscles working and circulation flowing. If this isn’t possible, then walk to the toilet, water cooler or to see someone in the office on another floor.’ Every little helps.
Unfortunately, data shows that one in five of us are working through our lunch break every day. And when we do manage to take a break, only half of us go outside. ‘I would definitely encourage people to take a break during the day,’ adds Noble. ‘Sitting for long periods of time affects the muscles around your joints – if you’re sitting down, your hip flexors become much tighter and your glutes become very weak – and that’s when people start to pick up injuries.’ Struggling to get away from your desk? When you can’t escape the office, boost your body with this (subtle) desk-based workout from Six Physio.
STAND-UPS
Standing up from the chair is standard movement that we do all the time. Do it repeatedly for a couple of minutes to really fire up the major muscle groups of your legs, glutes and quads.
SHOULDER SHRUGS
Shoulder movements will release built-up tension in your neck and shoulders, whict-i results from poor posture. Slowly lift and lower your shoulders 1 0 times. Then move them in a circular motion, forward and then backward, 10 times. Finish with your shoulders relaxed down and back, and focus on creating a space at the front of your chest between the collarbones.
NECK TILTS
Once your shoulders are relaxed, gently stretch the muscles at the side of your neck by tilting one ear to the same shoulder and lhen nodding your head slightly forward. Hold this for 30 seconds, then repeat on the other side.
SPINAL STRETCH
Finally, lengthen your spine. To do this, sit your bottom back in your chair, then think about lengthening the crown of your head up to the ceiling. This will correct some of the ‘kinks’ that develop in your posture as you tire and sink into the chair. Take 1 O slow, deep breaths in this position. This will oxygenate your tissues and relax your nervous system.
