By Loni Rodriguez, PT
Infinite Potential Physical Therapy and Wellness
Many of us work at desk jobs, commute to work sitting in a car or on a train? You are basically sitting all day. That can’t be good for you, RIGHT?! Sitting is the new smoking…
Actually, that is a myth. Sitting is not killing us! Recent research has shown is that it is much more common to develop chronic disease from what we consume, how poorly we sleep and how much stress we endure on a regular basis. Sitting is not actually BAD for you and it is more important to be focused on modifying the foods we munch on, the alcohol we sip, our sleep quality and how much we allow stress to affect us. Those are all modifiable, at least much more modifiable than changing jobs…
Let’s rethink this for a minute… If you can not modify your job to be able to stand more frequently, I am telling you that that is okay! Doesn’t that make you feel better already? Put you at ease a bit? Sitting is not hurting you, it is not a direct cause of low back pain, or any pain for that matter. Sure, more movement throughout the day is definitely better than being sedentary. However, there are plenty of very active people who deal with health issues and pain and there are many very healthy people that sit all day. Just let that sink in a bit.
Want a good warm up and full-body mobility routine you can perform without equipment? I have provided you with a grouping of exercises below that take you through a full range of motion of all joints throughout your body. Each of the exercises can be modified by not going as deep into the postures. Click the link below to view the 5-minute routine.
5-MINUTE FULL BODY FLEXIBILITY ROUTINE
Besides the above routine that can be easily performed a few times per day, my best recommendations are listed below:
Focus on your recovery vs doing MORE. I suggested the above routine, but sometimes we focus more on what we should be doing for exercises versus modifying our daily routine.
SLEEP
Try and achieve 7-8 hours of QUALITY sleep.
HYDRATION
Shoot for drinking one half your body weight of water in ounces.
STRESS
Take some time daily to breathe, be mindful, and not let stress build. This can dramatically affect your levels of pain and stiffness on a regular basis
NUTRITION
Simply eating a clean diet can improve your overall energy levels, pain, and stiffness.
MOVE AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN
The more you can get up, the better! Take calls on a walk, plan walking meetings with the team, have a goal to take a walk at lunch 3 days per week.
By following the above advice over time, you will notice a generalized reduction in stiffness throughout your day and improved energy levels!