Long sitting hours may hurt your health, THESE stretches can be helpful
Sticking to the office chair the whole day can cause more harm to health than benefit. However, there are many ways to reduce the physical harm caused by sitting at a desk for long periods and staying active at work.
Everyone likes to work hard but comfortably! Especially when you are comfortably sitting on a chair and in an AC room. In a true sense, this is a "white collar" job because instead of physical work, one works on a computer or laptop in AC. In this modern lifestyle, sitting has become a part of life. Be it sitting in front of a computer or laptop while working, driving while going home or sitting for hours at night watching a favourite show on OTT. Sitting is a big part of our day, but it also hurts our health. Sitting in one place for a long time can cause physical problems like obesity, metabolic syndrome, back or joint pain, and muscle pain. Thus, here in this article, we have mentioned a few exercises that you can be comfortable with while sitting.
After sitting at the desk for a few minutes, one starts feeling lethargic. However, by adopting these methods, you will not only remain fit and active, but your work can also improve.
Tips to follow if you have a desk job:
- Never miss breakfast while going to the office. If you leave early in the morning, you can take porridge or sprouts to your office.
- One should never avoid eating fast food or junk food at breakfast.
- Understand the need for lunch. Many of us look forward to the lunch break to rest. But using it for physical activity or light exercise can prove to be very beneficial. Lunch break time is usually one hour in every office. In such a situation, after lunch, you can take a walk in the workplace for some time. If there is a shortage of space in your workstation, you can stretch for some time in your cabin.
- Keep in mind the 90-degree angle.
- You sit on your chair with your hips straight and knees at a 90-degree angle. Sitting in bad posture can also cause neck or muscle pain, especially sitting hunched over a desk all day. So if you see yourself leaning, correct it.
- Make a habit of using stairs in the office.
- Using the stairs is a great way to stay active in the office. Using the stairs instead of the lift helps burn calories and also provides regular exercise. This is extremely beneficial for desk workers. It helps to stabilize the muscles of the feet and ankles.
- In the beginning, many people may feel pain in their muscles or difficulty in breathing. But after 15 to 20 days of practice, you will see that there will be no problem.
Can sitting for a long time cause heart disease?
Sitting for a long time can cause a risk of heart disease. Because when you sit for a long time the muscles become inactive. Due to this blood circulation may reduce and the level of physical activity may reduce. This can cause serious diseases like cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity. All these can create a risk of heart disease.
Exercises you can do while sitting on your office chair
Seated Lat Stretch- For this, move the right hand above the head to the left. Along with this, bend the body a little and hold the hands for a few seconds. Do this 4-5 times at a time.
One Arm Hug- One arm hug is very easy to do. To do this, while sitting on your chair, move your right hand towards the left shoulder. After this, push the elbow of the right hand backwards with the left hand. Do this with both hands for 20 to 30 seconds 2 to 3 times a day.
Shoulder Shrug- Raise the shoulders and take them near the ears. After this, hold it for about 25 to 30 seconds. Do this two to three times continuously. This provides great relief during stretches.
Sitting Arm Circle – Extend both arms to shoulder height. Then after rotating it about 10 times, rotate it anti-clockwise 10 times. This is a very refreshing exercise.
Double Leg Raise- To do this, straighten your legs one by one and hold for some time. Do this 10-15 times. Do this 1 to 2 times a day.
Neck Stretch- Working while sitting on a chair for a long time leads to stiffness in the neck. To avoid this, stretch your neck to the left side with your left hand while sitting on a chair. After this, tilt your right hand to the right.
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