A lot of us work within an office role doing our day-to-day jobs. We get in, we sit at a desk for the duration of our working hours, then get up and go home. Some of us try to break the time by getting up from our desk for a stretch, only to have to return minutes later to get our tasks completed. This all seems quite simple and straightforward, but there’s a lot more going on within our bodies than we would care to admit. Sitting down relaxes our bodies, sure. But there’s a lot more to take into consideration. Here is why sitting is not good for your health, and a few alternatives for you to consider instead when at your home or office workplace.
Blood Pressure
Our blood pressure drops enormously when we take a seat. Our bodies are instantly used to the fact that we aren’t going to be moving for a while. That’s why when you get up too quickly, you may feel like you are really dizzy or have a head rush – some people may even faint. While this is fine for making us feel relaxed, it’s not the best thing to occur when trying to get from A-B quickly. Having to adapt to your surroundings is something that takes even longer than normal. Some people combat this by standing up more often so their bodies don’t get used to relaxing whilst sat down. Others have taken to squatting in their spare time to combat more than just the blood pressure problem.
How To Change
Instead of taking a seat at home, take a squat instead. A lot of us will have to learn how to squat again; if we were living centuries ago, we would be experts by now. Having to do this to go to the toilet, as well as not having chairs available, led to us having to take this position. If you aren’t too clued up on what to do, visit http://naturalcave.com/posts/interesting-facts-about-the-natural-squatting-position/ for more information. Those who haven’t moved their joints well in a while may have some difficulty adapting to this position. However, that’s not to say that it shouldn’t be tried.
Sticking With It
Sticking with squatting can help alleviate a whole load of other pressures. Aches and pains in your tendons and joints can be caused by sitting down on a seat or chair, and you can actually lose quite a lot of strength in your leg muscles by doing so, as documented at http://www.livestrong.com/article/552814-weak-leg-muscles-from-sitting-at-a-desk-too-long/. By squatting, you are using the muscles in your legs to help you in and out of the position. Placing all of your weight on them also helps to strengthen what is otherwise a redundant muscle when you are sitting down normally.
Getting Up And About
Stretching your legs in an office environment should definitely be encouraged. While you may not be able to get away with squatting at your desk, speaking to your boss about the possibility of incorporating exercising lunches or breaks could be a way to get a healthier work-life balance. It should always be encouraged.
