
03 Sep Sitting is the New Smoking
Sitting is the New Smoking
When I was a child (back in “the day”) and complained that I was bored, my parents would say, “Go outside and play!” Today, what do we do when we are bored? We log onto Facebook, search through Instagram, watch movies, and binge on TV for hours at a time. Am I right? And even worse, we set up our kids with X-Box and other various video games which, based on my sons’ experience, could be 6 straight hours of sitting, only concluding when they are starving and need both hands to eat! And some of us do this AFTER being stuck behind an office desk 8 hours a day. None of these activities involve moving our asses from the couch or desk chair. In addition to causing damage to our hearts, lungs, and other internal organs, what does all this sitting do to our backsides? Well… it isn’t pretty, people. They are being stretched to all new widths. Ugh!
So… today. I’m going to talk about the five things I’ve found that help ME stay active while I’m writing. They may not work for YOU, but I’ve been doing a bit of personal research, and they absolutely work for me. (Side note: If you think your hour-long workout in the gym allows you to spend the rest of your 15-16 waking hours sitting, THINK AGAIN friends. It’s time to get up and move, or at the very least, change the way we sit!
Here Are 5 Ways To Stay Active in a Sedentary World
1. Treadmill Desk– I’ve seen this on TV on the show, “Episodes,” but never in real life. It does appear a little comical to be walking on the treadmill connected to your desk while wearing a pencil skirt and tennis shoes, but hey, whatever it takes.
3. Seated Core Balancer– Now I’ll share my own little secret. I have bad feet. It’s just a fact. It totally sucks, but three surgeries later, I have learned how to modify my life around my injuries. Another story for another day when I’m in an “Eeyore mode.” (Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, keep marching forward even on bad feet.) So…. here is my new thing, this is my way to stay active as I sit and write. It’s a core balancer that I place on my desk chair. Most of us sit passively, plopped like a sack of potatoes on the couch or in our chairs. However, it is impossible to do this if you are balancing on an inflated balancer. This is active sitting in which your core is engaged while you sit. I use an inflatable balancer I put on my desk chair seat. They also now make desk chairs using a balancing ball as the seat. Love it!
5. Make your breaks count– If you feel you just can’t work while walking on a treadmill or standing up, or you can’t get the hang of typing on your computer while balancing on an inflated seat and pedaling a mini-bicycle, then schedule your breaks, and make them count. Set the timer on your phone to go off every hour. When the timer goes off, get your ass up and do 30-50 reps of something…. anything (jumping jacks, push-ups, leg-lifts, tricep dips, squats, etc). It’s best to mix it up a bit and pick a different exercise each break. After you’ve completed your set, get back to work, and set your timer for an hour once again.
Live Young,
Darnell 🙂
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