Sitting all day won’t do you any good. Here are the stretches you need to perform everyday to mitigate the damages of prolonged sitting
A sedentary lifestyle is harmful in more ways than one, and yet, many people fall into the category because of the kind of work they do. In particular, the physical and mental health of desk-based office workers suffers because they spend three-quarters of their working day sitting, and excessive sitting is linked with several diseases and low vigor. For that reason, it’s encouraged for office workers to significantly decrease the time they spend sitting. Instead, adding in some movement for optimum health is recommended.
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Why prolonged sitting is bad
According to research, prolonged sitting behavior can have adverse effects on office workers. One study even found that “long sitting times were associated with exhaustion during the working day, decreased job satisfaction, hypertension, and musculoskeletal disorder symptoms in the shoulders, lower back, thighs, and knees of office workers.”
Many studies also link excessive sitting and physical inactivity with diabetes and heart disease. In particular, research shows that prolonged sitting can contribute to a greater risk for diabetes among physically inactive people. Time spent on sedentary behaviors like riding in a car and watching TV has also been found to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease mortality in men.
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And all that is a long-term risk you’ll have to take as an office worker. More immediate concerns you might already experience from hunching over your desktop and laptop all the time are discomfort in your legs and butt areas, as well as stiffness in your lower back, neck, and shoulders.
But finding ways to counterbalance all the time you spend sitting won’t be as hard as you think. There are many types of physical activity you can add to your daily routines, like walking, gardening, and stretching. Stretching exercises, in particular, may be most helpful for desk-based office workers preoccupied with their job as these can help improve muscle endurance, as well as relieve body pain.
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What you can do about it
You’ll find plenty of advice online on how best to stretch your body after work, but these are our top recommendations. The first is a three-movement flow under one minute that you can perform more than once throughout the day.
These three stretching exercises are quick and simple ways to get your body feeling less stiff when working at home or in the office. Meanwhile, the next recommendation is a seven-minute routine that you can perform sitting down from your desk.
This particular routine helps undo the bodily damage of prolonged sitting by bringing relief to your mind and body. But if you can find the time for it, try doing yoga after every work day to get extensive whole-body relief. For this, Kassandra has the perfect 40-minute yoga flow to stretch from head to toe.
This particular flow is perfect for all fitness levels as it won’t require much strength, and is a relaxing way to go about post-work exercise without it feeling like more work.
