The complete chiro guide to staying active at work
You might want to sit down before reading these statistics.
→ Middle-aged male office workers spend more time sitting than pensioners do.
→ More than half eat lunch at their desk.
→ Most men and women sit for up to eight hours per day.
→ Prolonged sitting can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, some types of cancer and an early death – even if you exercise at other times.
→ Being sedentary has a negative impact on mental health and cognition.
→ Sitting with poor posture places stress on your spine and organs which, over time, can result in pain and disease.
If that made you want to stand up and do something, you’re not alone!
Every year, Spinal Health Week aims to bring awareness to chiropractic and spinal health, and in 2018 it’s all about posture in the workplace.
Now, posture is no new topic at Spinecare. We’ve written about it extensively with great tips to be found here, there and everywhere for adopting better posture and giving love to your spine.
So today we’re going one step further by offering practical ways to address prolonged sitting at work.
Become an office mover and shaker
We know that changing habits is hard, especially in the workplace. It’s all very well to intend to stretch at 20 minute intervals, do star jumps behind your desk and practice yoga in the common room, but looking like the office oddball can be enough to stop most people.
Instead, we’ve come up with practical ideas that are easy to implement (and won’t require too many downward dogs).
Focus on movement, not posture perfection.
The latest research suggests that moving all day rather than adopting one static posture is vital to office health.
The body can only tolerate the same position for around 20 minutes before discomfort kicks in. Holding the same posture weakens soft tissues such as muscles, ligaments, and tendons, causing pain, stress, and eventually degeneration, whereas regular movement fosters strength, elasticity and flexibility.
As well as that, moving your spine helps rejuvenate and nourish the discs, preventing stiffness and pain. If there’s one thing you take away from this post, let it be: just move.
Follow the ‘sit, stand, walk’ principle
Sit in ergonomic seating for some of the day, stand at a well-designed standing desk for another (1 -2 hours), and make it your mission to take movement breaks, walking meetings and outdoor strolls in between. Simply using the stairs or hopping up to make tea regularly is great, too.
Set a timer
The pomodoro technique is a popular way to break up the working day, where short breaks are taken every 25 minutes. Other people use the 20-20-20 Rule (every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break to look at something 20 feet away), while some like working for longer stretches of up to 90 minutes. Depending on your type of work, schedule movement breaks that suit you.
Stretch at your desk
You don’t have to make a song and dance… you can simply stretch discreetly at your desk. After long periods of sitting, your joints and muscles will thank you! We love this comprehensive guide to stretches – check it out and save the page. Aim to do these every hour.
Change positions regularly
Shifting the arrangement of your limbs and the position of your body protects tissues and encourages elasticity. Forget what you were told as a kid – it’s OK to wriggle in your chair!
Suggest walking meetings
Famous minds such as Steve Jobs, Sigmund Freud and Aristotle loved walking meetings. In fact, walking stimulates creative thinking as well as offering a welcome alternative to sitting on your tush. To run a successful meeting on legs, stick to just a few people, go for idea brainstorming rather than detailed info requiring notes, give everyone advanced notice so they come prepared, and avoid walking to the nearest cafe for treats.
Get out and move with colleagues
There’s power in numbers, and motivation in groups. See who’s interested in taking regular walking breaks, becoming your lunch time exercise buddy or taking a stretch class.
Brainstorm with management
One of the best ways to make healthy movement habits stick, is to brainstorm with management ways of positively changing office culture. The truth is, healthy workers are productive workers, so it’s in everyone’s best interest to dedicate time (and a few extra resources) to workplace wellbeing.
Suggestions include movement reminders for everyone in-house, standing desks or treadmills that allow for upright productivity, alternate work spaces that encourage movement around the office and a change of position, and ergonomically fitted seating.
Another idea that harnesses a little healthy competition is incentivising movement – such as apps that track activity, score boards, rewards for active staff members and in-house stretching classes.
We’ll come to you
Did you know that Spinecare offer corporate and office talks, workshops and free employee assessments?
We do!
Our goal is to empower employers to figure out the right solution to combat rising health issues and healthcare costs within the workplace, and equip employees with the tools to stay well at work.
Our experienced chiropractors deliver informative health talks to your employees on topics including:
– Resolving Back and Neck Pain without Drugs or Surgery
– Prevent Musculoskeletal Injuries in the Workplace
– Correct and Maintain a Good Posture at Work and at Home
– Boosting Your Immune System Naturally
– Ergonomics
We offer our health talks in a variety of formats such as:
– Lunch and learn – health talks and posture checks during an interactive lunch session on site where we provide lunch to your staff
– After hours evening health talks
– Weekend workshops
All you need to do to get the ball rolling is send us an email.