Are You Moving?
You’ve been sitting at your computer for a few hours, focusing on the screen. You go to lunch, then come back and sit another few hours in front of the computer. On the way home, you stop at the gym and work out for 30 minutes.
What’s wrong with this picture?
Many people with sedentary jobs pay attention to their body during exercise, and mostly ignore it the rest of the day.
The body requires movement. Many studies are uncovering the health dangers of sitting for long periods, and show that exercising for a brief period does not offset those dangers entirely.
When I first heard this, I thought, “Ok, I’ll stand in front of my computer instead of sitting.” Unfortunately, that’s not the solution either, as studies similarly document how hard on the body standing for long periods is.
Turns out what the body requires is movement. Shifting your relationship to gravity frequently is particularly important. Longevity studies that look at the habits of octogenarians note that they are up and down all day.
What’s the difference between exercise and movement? Think of exercise as a defined activity you do: perhaps a cardio or strengthening routine, or you jog or walk for 30 minutes, or get on the elliptical or do a crossfit class. The movement I’m talking about is simply a part of your day. It can be short or long duration, and fits more seamlessly into whatever you already do instead of being a separate activity requiring special clothes or equipment.
Obviously exercise is a type of movement, I differentiate the two because while it’s unlikely you can exercise through the day, even with a desk-bound job you can bring more movement into your day easily. Here are some quick tips that will help you remember your body.
Shift your relationship to gravity frequently. Those octogenarians? They did this as much as 35 times a day! Even just standing up and sitting back down again is better than nothing. Better yet, alternate standing with bending over in your chair to touch your toes, or lying down for 10 seconds (if it won’t cause funny looks in your office) and getting back up.
Take a mini-break every 15 minutes (10 seconds) and a longer break every hour (5 minutes). Download an app for your computer that forces you to take a break by greying out your screen and timing out the break. I use Time Out Free on my Mac, which does allow you to set the time for mini and regular breaks, and has a “skip break” button if you’re in the middle of something (which a friend suggests should read “I’m choosing to betray myself now” instead of “Skip Break”).
Build a repertoire of what to do in these breaks…the options are endless.
Stand up and stretch to the ceiling, then bend to touch your toes.
Do 1 stretch of some part of the body, such as quads, side stretch, calves
Your eye muscles need exercise too! Look middle and long distance to counter the constant focus close up on the computer screen.
Lay down on the floor and stretch that way.
Dance like no one is watching.
Walk to get something to drink, and move your body consciously as you do so, being aware of every muscle required for walking. Walk the way a cat does, using every muscle in your body.
If you have your own space or after you get home, also consider doing some free movement. How does your body want to move? So often we impose our viewpoint on the body, deciding how we think it should move and what exercise we think it needs. Instead, let your body tell you how it wants to move. Ask what it requires, and then follow through on what you get. Maybe it wants to swing, or go for a walk. Perhaps rolling around on the floor like a two-year-old (how long has it been since you did that?) would feel good, or doing a few jumping jacks to get the blood flowing.
What will you do today to bring your body more of the movement it would like?