Surviving a desk job

It is no secret that office jobs are generally bad for our health.  We spend up to 8 hours a day sat staring at a computer screen, sometimes even eating where we sit.  Only moving to visit the bathroom.

What would you call someone who spent the weekend in a similar fashion.  i.e. sat on the sofa staring at the TV eating food while only moving to go to the bathroom.  There are a lot of terms slob, couch potato etc etc.

Somehow the time spent in the office has avoided these derogatory terms and from a health persepective that is a pity as it might have made more of us take some action.

Sitting at the desk with limited activity day after day does impact our fitness and makes us prone to put on weight.  Our muscles atrophy, our posture degenerates and our metabolism slows.  So what can we do to reduce the negative impacts of office work.  Here are a few ideas:

• Walk more – sounds simple and it is but people don’t do it.  Make a point of using the stairs if you are visiting someone 1,2 or 3 floors up or down.  It will make a big difference.  Go and get your own coffee/tea/water, the coffee boy is making you fat and destroying your muscles that you worked so hard to grow
• Stand more – Every 30 minutes (at least) spend 5 minutes standing.  You can still use your computer.  Consider standing during meetings.  When you visit someone’s office stay on your feet and refuse the offer of a chair.
• Squat more – at least 10 times each day you probably have to get something from the lower shelf of a cupboard.  Printer paper, a file etc.  Instead of standing end bending as if touching your toes do a full squat to collect it.  Squat down all the way, weight through your heels (NOT ON YOUR TOES) and take some time down there.  Improving your hip flexibility and your strength
• Sit up straight – You slouch.  I know you do because everyone does.  You are sat staring at a computer with hands on a keyboard.  your back will be rounded and your core relaxed.  Now push your shoulders back, get that lumbar curve at the base of your spine and feel your core (muscles of the mid section) engage.  You are still sitting but your core is not wasting away and your back will like you more
• Do some mobility work – So much of the pain in our body associated with age and also with exercise is caused by inflexibility and muscular imbalance.  Keep your muscles loose by doing some flexibility work.  When you visit the bathroom consider a quad stretch (standing up, bend one leg and hold the ankle, keep your knees together and push the hips forward and hold for at least 20 seconds).  While you wait for some printing try a STANDING SCAPULAR WALL SLIDE
• Keep a tennis ball in your desk – more on mobility.  Have you come across the idea of self-massage using a tennis ball?  Even better, have you come across the idea of massaging the plantar fascia in order to loosen up the entire posterior chain? Sitting in an office chair for hours at a time does terrible things for your posterior chain, especially for the glutes and the hamstrings.  But sat at your desk you can roll the soles of your feet on a tennis ball at regular intervals and nobody needs to know.  Hey presto!  Looser posterior chain muscles for a better squat depth that evening.
• Use your imagination – the above are just a few ideas.  The basic plan is to be more active so think about it and do whatever you can to stop wasting away and growing larger (not a contradiction – your muscles waist your belly/bum grows) at your desk