Exercise Snacks for the desk warrior – edited with approval from a friends blog- Peter Friesen DPT BScPT ACT

There is no denying that with Covid-19 and the restrictions put in place that our lifestyles have changed.  More people are now working from home or if not yet back to work- doing more sitting at home with Netflix binges, puzzles, crafts and teleconference computer interaction.

Sitting is actually been nicknamed ‘the next disease’, and a such has been linked to increased mortality rates in such things as heart disease, diabetes, and increased blood pressure, low back pain, venous insufficiency, and decreased cognition.

Perfect sitting/ desk postures of 90 degree knee and elbow bend, spine straight and eyes level although sound advice is virtually impossible to maintain and is not healthy to try to achieve for indefinite periods.  Motion is lotion, you need to move!  Set your phone alarm and MOVE!!

There is strong evidence that resistance training in the work place (now home) can prevent and relieve muscular disorders of the neck, upper back and shoulders. 10 minutes a day can contribute to pain relief and prevention of muscle and joint problems. Even 3-4 x 3 minute breaks with these active movements have been shown to have similar effects on pain and stiffness. So don’t tell me you don’t have time to do your exercises!!

Sit to stand work places are thankfully also becoming more popular .  They allow you to weight shift from leg to leg using a foot stool, change your spinal posture and loads, and the variety has been shown to increase cognition, level of alertness and productivity.

In summary:

You office fitness snacks can include one of the 3 routines:

1. Develop resistance exercises that can be done 10 minutes a day
2. Take 3-4 shorter 3 minute breaks from sitting and do some active/resistance exercises
3. Change your work station so you can sit and stand thru out the day

Try each of them and decide what works best for you and your individual situation and use a combined variety. These are proven ideas that can increase productivity, decrease postural stresses and add to health and well being benefits.

‘ Embrace the process of being the best at getting better’