Some great tips on keeping active at your desk from our friends at CACHE: CACHE Health Week Sometimes we think we don’t have time to exercise but there are a few simple techniques you can do at your desk without looking silly. Deskercise techniques Stretch Your Neck Sitting in front of the computer screen and frequently moving your neck up and down could cause you to have to an uncomfortable neck strain. Grab under the chair with one hand with your shoulder behind (your) midline. Reach over your head with the other hand and grab the opposite ear. Lean towards the arm that is over your head and stretch your neck. This stretch can help prevent or reduce stiffness and pain after sitting at your desk all day. “Run” in Place Sitting or standing too much can lead to leg and calf pain and have a significant toll on your health. Luckily, you can offset the effects of sitting too much by simply “running” in place from your work desk. In several intervals of 45 seconds of work, followed by 15 seconds of rest, while seated, you can lift your feet up and down as though you were running, and pump your arms at the same time, this will get your heart rate up and even help you burn some calories. Seated Leg Raises To ensure we keep our leg muscles active and toned even while sitting, all it takes is good posture and extending your leg straight out in front of you. “Squeeze thigh and lift leg up and down in a slow, controlled manner for 15-20 repetitions, then lift leg up and complete 15-20 quick pulses of very small movement and follow that with a 15-20 second hold at the top. Heel Raises If you’re sitting at your desk for most of the day, your heels will most likely feel achy and tight. To get good blood circulation on the soles of your feet, sit tall, lift your heels off of the floor as high as you can until you are on the balls of your feet. Do this movement slow and complete one set of 20 to 30 repetitions with both legs, and then complete one set of 15 repetitions on one side, and then the other. Heel raises help strengthen the calf muscles. Lower Back Stretch Sitting in front of your computer for hours every day can lead to a great deal of medical problems. The static posture an office chair creates increases stress in the back and can add large amounts of pressure to the back muscles and spinal discs. Sitting tall, back off of the back of the chair, engage the abs in and up, and lengthen through the top of the head as you begin to twist to one side. Turn from the lower back first, then the middle back, then upper back. Useful facts of the day Between 6:00 and 8:59 is heart attack danger zone! This is the time of day your heart is most vulnerable. Blood vessels are stiffer and more rigid, the blood is thicker and stickier and your blood pressure is at its peak. Your body is kicking into gear as sleep hormone melatonin production stops. It is a poor time to exercise. Studies show that between 9:00 and 11:59 our minds are most alert. The stress hormone cortisol reaches its natural peak giving our brains a boost of alertness. We tend to be most productive before lunch and tests show short-term memory is at its best. Stay busy, theres a big dip coming up. cache.org.uk/Pages/Home.aspx
Posted on: Tue, 13 May 2014 14:01:05 +0000