Although it’s “just a desk job,” working in an office can wreak absolute havoc on our bodies.
If you’re someone who spends all day at a desk in front of your computer, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Sitting for a desk job seems relaxing but actually, it is not. It is not easy and good for your body to sit continuously for long periods of time. The desk jobs could be more dangerous than what you may think.
According to researchers at Cornell University and the Cleveland Clinic Center for Spine Health,
Hunching over a computer is a leading reason why four in five women end up with crippling back pain at some point in their lives.
So, let's take a quick look at few scary health risks of a desk job and then we will talk about how you can stay healthy while working in an office that requires you to perform your duties while sitting on a chair.
- Muscular Skeletal Disorders
- Diabetes
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Obesity
- Poor PostureAches and Pains
- Neck Issues
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
What can we do to counteract this office life we have to live?
Alan Hedge, a design and ergonomics professor at Cornell, recommends you change to positions every eight minutes, and take a two-minute "moving break" at least twice an hour.
The best way to do desk job with relaxed body and mind is to perform yoga. You might be thinking how to spare time for performing exercises in such hectic schedule, but believe me here are some really easy and useful yoga exercises which you can even do at your workplace.
1. Wrist and Finger Stretches
Stretch your arms. Place your hands on the table, stretch your hands upward and bend backward with the other hand. Now start rotating your wrist, 5-10 circles inwards and outwards.
Working for long on a keyboard, builds up tension in muscles, tendons in fingers, hands, and wrist. So as to relax your hands and provide them proper blood flow, repeat this exercise after every 2 hours.
2. Seated Crescent Moon Pose
In this pose, stretch your arms touching your ears. Join your hands, stretching your fingers bend to right taking 2-3 long breaths. Repeat on the left side for other 2-3 long breaths.
This pose helps to relax your body so that you can return to your seat with a taller spine, a clearer head, and sharper focus.
3. Chair Pigeon Pose
Sitting on a chair for a long and hunching at a computer may cause neck pain. So here's an easy and relaxing exercise that may help you to prevent this.
While seated in your chair, both feet flat on the floor, cross your right leg over the left at a 90-degree angle, keeping the foot flexed as to not place pressure on the knee. Maintain equal weight distributed between the sitting bones while staying in an upright seated position.
You should feel gentle to moderate stretch on the outermost part of the right thigh. Hold 5 to 10 breaths before switching sides.
4. Sit and Stand Chair Pose
When we are seated all day, it makes your legs stiff and causes pain in the knees.
Begin seated with your knees bent 90 degrees and your feet flat. Press down from your heels, trying not to move the feet in toward your chair or use your arms, and make your way up to standing.
From standing, slowly sit straight back down, refraining from leaning forward and/or from shifting the hips to one side or the other. Repeat 5 to 10 times.
5. Desk Chaturanga
Your desk can support your yoga pushups! Blasting out a few of these strengthening movements throughout the day reminds the muscles around your neck to relax while energizing the arms, which tends to go soft during the majority of the day.
Rest your hands about shoulder width distance on the edge of your sturdy desk, and step your feet back so your torso is a diagonal line to the floor. Your feet firmly placed, inhale as you bend the elbows to a 90-degree angle, hugging the elbows in towards the ribs.
Exhale and press your chest back up to the starting position. Repeat 8 to 12 times.
Yoga gives us relief from countless ailments at the physical level. The practice of the postures strengthens the body and creates a feeling of well-being. From the psychological viewpoint, it sharpens the intellect and aid in concentration; it steadies the emotions and encourages a caring for others.
If you’re working in a position that requires you to sit most of the day, it is high time you talk to our physiotherapists to create an exercise plan for you.
If you want to book an appointment with one of our physiotherapists, click here to contact us today.
