Sitting in front of a computer for 8 hours at work sounds harder than running a marathon to me. I just think of being glued to a chair and a bright screen while ticking away at the keyboard. Sure my chair is awesome, state of the art lumbar support and my work ergonomics department inspected my station and left it with an A+. But at 11:30, almost lunch time I am stiff and just want to move.
Is this accurate at all? Or am I painting a picture that could only belong in Office Space and not real life? I’m going to run with it as if it is a common situation anyway.
Work ergonomics are definitely important and are a necessity to any desk job, but there really is no replacement for real mobility during work; it would just not be a healthy environment. Even writing this blog, I can feel my shoulders wanting to roll forward, my mid back wanting to drop, and my lower back wanting to round. Why?
Good posture takes work.
So, what is to be done? What is acceptable at work? What if I am too embarrassed and do not want to make a spectacle of myself?
What is to be done: 1) Dynamic mobility is always a good go-to when you are feeling or want to prevent stiffness. A pretty good routine of dynamic mobility would be a World’s Greatest Stretch, walking with leg pulls, air squats, side bend plus reach. (There really are so many, but these are just to name a few)
But really, we also want to reverse everything that we turn into while sitting for a long time. That means (2) Breuggers position while sitting or standing (standing preferably). Finally I really like 3)the Beefed Up Child’s Pose.
What is acceptable at work? I’m sure most of these could be squeezed into your day without reducing your production…
Embarrassed? Spectacle? Two things here. 1) Who cares? You are being an active member in society! You are taking it upon yourself to stay healthy and energetic! You are realizing that how you feel is directly proportionate to how you perform!
2) If you really are embarrassed, then just go to the bathroom. People already think that you are exerting some sort of effort when you walk into the stall anyway, so you might as well embrace some movement other than your bowels. Seriously, though. Get Moving!
One.