Sedentary work: what exercises will remove the consequences?

Problems that may arise during sedentary work

Research by medical scientists suggests that people who move little and spend most of their working hours sitting in a chair age much earlier than those who work physically by 5 and sometimes 10 years. This applies to professions such as cashiers, office employees, freelancers, and operators.

According to researchers, the body of people leading a sedentary lifestyle ages 5-10 years earlier

Diseases that can develop due to sedentary occupations:

• poor posture;
• osteochondrosis;
• haemorrhoids;
• constipation;
• kyphosis;
• radiculitis;
• disc protrusion;
• sexual problems;
• problems of the cardiovascular system;
• excess weight;
• apathy;
• diabetes.

Sedentary work can provoke painful attacks in the muscles, general weakness, and constant contact with the monitor weakens vision. Redness of the eyes, dryness and a feeling of sand indicate the occurrence of the so-called office syndrome.

Organizing a place for sitting work

Those who spend their daily working day without moving should not look for a new position to maintain their health. It will be enough to listen to the advice of experts and follow a few simple rules.

Most office workers suffer from cardiovascular diseases

What do we have to do:

• organize your workplace correctly;
• choose a comfortable chair of the required rigidity and height;
• install the monitor in front of you, not to the side;
• take care of good lighting;
• Ventilate the room more often.

One of the main mistakes people make when sitting at work for a long time is incorrect posture. The first thing you need to learn is to monitor your body position and control your posture during the working day:

• straighten your back, don’t slouch;
• keep your head and body straight;
• point your chin parallel to the floor;
• Tighten your stomach;
• place your feet on the floor;
• the level of the knees should be higher than the level of the hips (you can use a stand);
• The lower back rests on the back of the chair.

Even if you strictly follow all the rules, by the end of the working day a person will experience fatigue and aches in the spinal region. To prevent this from happening, if you need to do sedentary work, you need to take regular breaks and perform simple exercises for your back. It is recommended to combine rest with gymnastics, specifically designed for employees engaged in sedentary work, which will help strengthen the body. Walking and spending as much time in the fresh air as possible are very beneficial for health. An ideal option would be to regularly visit a gym or swimming pool.

Sedentary work is the main cause of severe weakness, muscle pain, diabetes, constipation and hemorrhoids

What happens to the body

If you don't control your posture while sitting at a computer or looking at a smartphone, the body adapts as best it can on its own. Poor posture leads to muscle imbalances: the upper back, shoulder, pectoral muscles, and back of the neck become spasmed and shortened, while the mid-back muscles and front of the neck become weakened and stretched. If the problem is not solved, stooping leads to a deepening of the lumbar deflection and, as a result, a “dumping” belly.

Incorrect back position becomes habitual and develops into a chronic position, causing stooping.

Tight muscles compress nerves and blood vessels leading to the brain, which causes headaches and fatigue. For the same reasons, vision problems may occur.

A weakened front surface of the neck leads to sagging skin and often to the appearance of a double chin.

In some cases, if nothing is done, computer neck syndrome can cause degenerative processes in the intervertebral discs and arthritis. Then simple exercises and changing habits will no longer help: medication or even surgical intervention may be needed.

So it is better to prevent or nip this common problem in the bud.

Exercises recommended for sedentary work

To avoid problems with the spine, it is recommended to conduct gymnastics classes using a specially designed complex as a basis.

Conventionally, all gymnastic exercises are divided into groups:

• home activities;
• a set of exercises for the office.

Staying in a sedentary state for a long time leads to muscle discomfort and has a negative impact on overall well-being. All exercises that will help a person overcome the negative effects of movement deficits are extremely simple, do not require special sports equipment other than a chair, and take a minimum of time. The body needs to be energized at the beginning of the day, and morning exercises are perfect for this. Five minutes of active exercise will help awaken and activate the condition of the spine and muscles.

Neck

All exercises take no more than a few minutes and are repeated 5 to 10 times. They should cover all spinal regions, including the cervical :

1. Press your chin to your chest, then turn your head back, as if trying to look behind your back. Repeat at least five times.
2. Turn your head alternately in one direction and the other, fixing each turn at the shoulder point. Perform turns 5 to 10 times.

   

   In a sitting position, bend your neck, bringing your chin as close to your chest as possible, then slowly tilt your head back

3. The next head rotation exercise is a great option for the vertebrae and neck. This is one of the most effective options for those who spend a lot of time at the computer.
4. A neck massage will be very useful in this case. It is necessary to move with massage movements from the beginning of the vertebrae to the back of the head.

Pull

Sit on a chair, straighten your shoulders, relax your arms. You need to keep your neck as straight as possible and look in front of you. When you are in this position, you need to slowly tilt your head back, lifting your chin up towards the ceiling until you feel comfortable. Make sure to keep your mouth closed during the exercise. Try to stay in this position for a short time, after which you should return to the starting position.

You need to repeat this action several times, after which you will begin to feel a surge of strength and energy.

Back

To improve blood circulation in the back muscles, special exercises are recommended, for example, clasping your hands together and stretching them forward, exhale, while simultaneously drawing in your stomach and lowering your head down.

Sit on a chair and spread your legs wide, placing your hands on your hips. Turn your torso alternately in both directions. This exercise has a positive effect on the muscles of the lower back and middle back.

All exercises can be performed until a pleasant tingling sensation appears and a feeling of complete muscle relaxation appears.

Gymnastics for the press

Any set of exercises must include abdominal training. Such exercises are especially necessary for women with sedentary work. It is in them that the weakening of the muscles in the waist area negatively affects their figure.

You need to tense your abdominal muscles while counting to 5

It is recommended to do abdominal exercises several times a day:

• pull your stomach in and hold this position for 5 seconds, then return to the original position. You can start with 10 repetitions, gradually increasing the number of exercises. This type of exercise is ideal for both in the office and while walking or relaxing at home;
• tilt your body alternately in each direction with your arms down and your back straight;
• The usual tension of the muscles in the abdominal area for 5–6 seconds will also provide good help to the press. Over time, it is advisable to increase the load.

How to stay healthy

Why do office gymnastics:

• the risk of developing spinal diseases is reduced;
• prevention of pain in the lower back, neck, back;
• blood circulation improves, the activity of all organs is activated;
• breaks are good for the eyes, important for working at the computer;
• the level of anxiety and stress decreases, the nervous system calms down;
• blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels are regulated;
• the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity is significantly reduced;
• activity has a positive effect on productivity and efficiency;
• changing activities increases efficiency, energy, concentration;
• relieves lethargy, drowsiness, absent-mindedness;
• maintaining a good figure, normal weight, muscle tone.

Sedentary exercises are important for women. By properly organizing your day and increasing activity, you will be able to avoid harmful effects on your health. In addition, if you follow simple recommendations that will become a habit over time, your health will improve.

In the morning

You shouldn’t jump out of bed at the first sound of the alarm clock and get ready to run errands. Set the alarm clock literally 5 minutes earlier and when you get up, lie down a little and stretch. It is advisable to do morning exercises. If you don’t have the strength to get up, do it without getting out of bed.

On the way to the office

Try not to use the elevator; walking up the stairs is an additional effective form of fitness. Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to ride a bicycle to their place of work, since in our country there are few conditions for cyclists. And the time to get to the office can increase significantly.

But there is another solution: get off a couple of stops earlier and walk. You need to walk for at least 30-40 minutes a day without a break. The procedure can be repeated in the evening, after a working day.

In the office

While talking on the phone, get up and walk around the office. To communicate with colleagues, forget about calls or mail - go to them in person. Do not refuse if you need to take work documents to another department or pick them up. Organize your workspace so that you have to constantly get up for necessary things throughout the day.

Don't miss any opportunity to move. Practice the sports complex throughout the day.

Don’t forget about your eyes; every 2-2.5 hours it is recommended to be distracted for 10-12 minutes. At this time, you need to do exercises for your eyes and give them rest. While sitting at the table, watch your posture to avoid unpleasant consequences such as curvature of the spine and acute pain.

Suggest holding meetings and planning meetings while standing. Many companies in the world use this technique, including Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook. According to research by psychologists from the University of Washington, standing planning meetings are more effective than regular ones.

The duration of the events is reduced, the speech is clearly to the point without unnecessary water and introductions. When people are moving or standing, they generate fruitful ideas more often, and a feeling of a cohesive team appears.

Add exercises in the mornings and during breaks to your corporate culture. It is easier for everyone to do the exercises together; it is especially difficult for shy people to do alone.

Working as a team is more fun, easier, and there will be no chance to evade the responsibility to take care of your health. Such events will unite the team and have a positive effect on the work process.

After a hard day and at leisure

It is recommended to lead an active lifestyle. Walk more, do gymnastics at home or join a gym or swimming pool. A meeting with friends in a cafe can be moved to the gym. Playing sports with a group is more fun and interesting. There will be fewer reasons to skip training.

Legs

You can't ignore the legs. Sedentary work provokes the following inconveniences:

Poor circulation, stagnation of venous blood.

Lack of necessary physical activity.

A few absolutely simple exercises will help restore health to your legs and ease the work of your heart:

Alternate tension and relaxation of the thigh muscles should be carried out in such a way that the kneecaps move. Repeat at least 10–15 times.

Bend and straighten your toes. During the exercise, breathing is voluntary.

You need to train yourself to do exercises for sedentary work at least 3 times a week.

One of the simplest, but nevertheless effective exercises is to dangle your legs, as children like to do while sitting on a chair. There is no time limit in this option.

Tighten your gluteal muscles and count to five, relax. Each subsequent voltage should increase over time.

Hands

Sitting at a computer for long periods of time can contribute to the development of a condition known as “carpal tunnel syndrome,” the main cause of which is repetitive use of the hands.

A regular set of special exercises is designed to cope with the problem:

1. Make circular movements with your hands alternately in each direction, bend and unbend, moving up and down. This exercise is performed with your arms extended forward.
2. Using fists with clenched fingers, make rotational movements in each direction.
3. Raising your arms up and to the sides, shake your relaxed hands.
4. Use a small soft ball to squeeze with your fingers and palms.
5. Massage each finger, starting from the pad and moving to the base. In this case, the skin needs to be turned in one direction and the other.

Despite its simplicity, this complex gives positive results.

Sedentary work requires increased attention to your health. Here you need to remember the main rule necessary for good health - the maximum number of movements. It is imperative to do special gymnastics, which will help activate the body’s work processes and improve blood circulation, which will have a positive effect on muscle function. Walking should not be neglected either. The best option for doing strengthening gymnastics would be a cycle of classes three times a week. Such regular exercise will make it possible to minimize the negative impact of sedentary work on the body’s condition. Particular attention should be paid to maintaining a temporary alternation of work and rest. The break between them should not exceed three hours.

Drawing circles

This exercise is the easiest. To do this, you need to make circular movements with your head. Please note that this exercise is contraindicated for those people who suffer from osteochondrosis, pain in the back, neck, and frequent migraines. In such situations, it is best to refrain from performing a full circle, and it is necessary to draw the movements in the form of a figure eight. To avoid possible health problems, consult your doctor in advance.