Counterbalancing the Negative Effects of Sitting With Physical Therapy

Today everything is instant, home delivery, remote control devices – no need to get up and change the TV station. Face it, we sit more now than ever.  The human body isn’t designed for sitting around all day, we need to be active or the body starts breaking down. 

Most people who work in an office sit for at least 6+ hours a day. This amount of sitting can lead to:

• chronic back pain

• worsening of mental health

• higher risk of heart disease

• and a higher risk for muscle tears.

Our daily habits are often designed to fit our lifestyles. Some of these habits are unhealthy because of the stress they put on the body. For hundreds of years man foraged for food and built his own home, not much time for much else. Today we spend hours sitting in front of a computer and hours each day driving to get to work.

When computers run too many programs the speed and memory start breaking down, the programs begin to underperform and then crash. Many of us have fried the mother board and had our hard drive seize up.

Much overworked computer, the human body needs daily routines while balancing work with rest and relaxation for good health and well being. You’ve got to walk before you can run. You can’t just decide to get in shape and start running  an hour on the treadmill. Most need an overhaul to their daily routines and lifestyles to avoid long lasting damage from being sedentary all day.

Regular exercise might not combat the effects of the sitting culture. For most people, the few trips to the gym weekly isn’t doing enough. While running and weight training aren’t worsening the effects of too much sitting, they aren’t necessarily solving the problem. Workout routines can add to wear and tear for your back, knees, and other muscles if not done properly.

Much like workout routines, there are ways to combat or slow the normal wear and tear of everyday life. Start integrating these healthy habits into your daily routine:

• Use a pedometer or FitBit to establish an understanding of how active you are. Then work on adding more steps to keep you fit.

• Walk to store, leave the car at home when frequenting places within an hour by foot.

• Integrate Yoga into your lifestyle.

• Setting a timer to remind you to stand for 5 minutes every hour, or better yet take a 10 minute walk after lunch, you’ll feel great.

• Be aware of when you are slouching in your chair, and correct it. Proper posture is a must.

These solutions are more achievable than they seem. Even simply bringing your phone to a more eye level position can aid in the prevention of stress on your body. Simply put, walking or being active is the most effective way to combat too much sitting.

Here are some great tips to maximize the amount of daily exercise with little to no effort:

1. Park near the back of the parking lot, walking is so good for you.

2. Walk over to office members instead of texting or emailing them. Face to face interactions are proven to improve your well being.

3. Take the scenic route to the bathroom, give your self a break and stretch your legs out.

4. Stand every time you make a phone call, it’s empowering and builds confidence.

5. Walk to get your morning coffee, enjoy your hot cup on the way back to the office.

Chronic back pain and other symptoms can be helped by physical therapy. Talk to one of our certified physical therapists today to see how we can help.

Moriarty Physical Therapy can help set a daily routine with stretches, exercises, and habits that can help with the effects of too much sitting.  To learn more visit our website www.moriartypt.com or call us at 845.454.4137.