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30th April 2018
The Sitting Disease!
Do you sit down all day for a living? Well you are not alone. Modern day technology has led to a rise of the machines and the sitting down of humans. But it’s not quite Terminator time yet.
Working behind a computer or using smartphones and tablets can lead to sitting related problems. Now some would lead you to believe that sitting is bad for you. Well it isn’t, however not moving is!
Our top tips are these:
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Move often – wriggle lots. Our bodies love movement,
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Change your posture, slump for a bit, sit up tall for a bit.
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When you are not at work, exercise!
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Walk more
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Change your setup – we do not stoop to conquer!
Move often
Believe it or not sitting time is the main factor instead of how you sit. So basically wriggle lots and change position. Our bodies love movement!
Change your posture
Due to gravity, arm position and human nature, when we sit we generally end up in a slump, which is fine. However if you sit slumped 100% of the time, and do it day in day out, it can lead to the muscles down your back to get ‘long’ and they can get fed up and become painful. See point 1!
Exercise
A good analogy is if you stretch one finger back a bit you’ll feel it pull a bit and it should feel fine, But if you held it there for more than a few minutes, the soft tissues would ‘give’ a bit and if you kept repeating it for hours on end it may become painful. This is just how pain can begin if you have sitting related pain. The muscles can get deconditioned – a fancy word for out of shape. So when you’re not at work, do any exercise to keep fit and strong, and don’t forget the back muscles!
Walk
If you do not feel motivated to walk more after watching Dr Mike Evans YouTube clip tilted 23 and a half hours then nothing will get you moving! The benefits of walking just 30 minutes a day are so amazing and wide ranging that you would be mad not to walk more. Check it out here
Change your setup
There are some general rules here. Sit supported so you are not hanging away from your chair. Have your chair fairly close to the desk so your keyboard and mouse isn’t too far away and you won’t have to constantly reach forward for them. Have the monitor as high as your face – imagine it’s a person that you are talking to of the same height.
If you suffer from sitting related pain and want some advice feel free to give us a call.
We want to help you enjoy your life, pain free!
