Sedentary office workers - a call to move!
Updated: Apr 13, 2022
When the body doesn’t move it rapidly grows sedentary, muscles weaken and shorten and mobility is lost. The most powerful impact one has on how the body progresses or regresses is our lifestyle choice. This is more evident than genetics or any aging patterns. The most powerful aspect about all of this is that we have control of our lifestyle choices!
Office workers who do not exercise/move sufficiently are generally able to carry out basic functioning tasks such as sitting, lying, standing, moving from position to position, walking, carrying out daily tasks/hobbies. However, without additional movement, our bodies lack strength and mobility. This may later affect our lives.
Basic exercises from the office chair can be incorporated to strengthen the body between work tasks. Give this BASI (Body Arts and Science) Pilates program a try and keep moving! All you will need is your work chair, pillow, theraband/weights, and a wall.
Warm-up - connect the mind and the body by pushing your feet into the ground and feeling your spine lengthen. Place your hands onto your ribs as you feel them expand and lower.
Footwork - while sitting do ankle circles, add dorsiflexion/plantar flexion. Stand and hold onto the back of the chair, rise onto your toes and lower back down.
Hip work - stand on one leg while holding on to the chair and do leg circles in both directions.
Spinal articulation - cat stretch/squirm/pelvic curl.
Stretches - hamstrings - place a leg on to your chair seat and hold the other side of the chair, pectorals - place your arms between the door frame, neck rotation/lateral flexion/extension, sit on a chair and do gluteal stretches.
Full body integration - pelvic curl with feet on a chair.
Arm work - free weights seated/pull a theraband out in front of you, wall push-ups.
Leg work - put your work pillow between your knees and squeeze and release, seated lift a leg out in front and strengthen your quadriceps and VMO, or squat from the chair and stand up.
Lateral flexion/rotation - hold the chair while standing and hike the hip up and lower back down. Stand with one hip facing the wall and stretch your arms overhead to touch the wall.
Back extension - while seated, place hands behind the head and lift into upper back extension and release back to neutral.
Adding a couple of exercises into your daily routine will keep your muscles longer and stronger. It will give you longevity, functional movement and hopefully keep you pain-free.