How long have you been sitting today? If it’s been more than 30 mins pop up right now and do at least 15 jumping jacks before you read this. Throw in a few side bends and roll downs while you’re at it.
As a pilates instructor I work diligently with all my clients and classes on posture, breath, and over all alignment. I must sound like a broken record at this point, but poor posture is our modern day epidemic. Humans were meant to move, not sit all day. The muscles that support our spines, “the core”, must be mobilized, opened and worked everyday to prevent gravity induced shrinkage. Sitting poorly compresses lung capacity, stagnates digestion, slows circulation and even causes death!
Warning: This will make you want to move!
Over the years I’ve found some fun ways to remind myself and clients to move every 30 mins. Here are a few of my favorites..
1.) Turn your treadmill into a desk. Try this handy DIY project
2.) Build or buy a stand up desk. Standupdesk.com is a great option, but recycling pieces of wood and making your own would be greener and more fun. You can then add a treadmill under it too.
3.) Sit on a fit ball instead of a chair and take bouncing breaks. Try my sitting jumping jacks! Sit tall on the ball with feet hip-distance apart, arms at sides. Jump your feet out to the sides as you lift arms overhead, bouncing on ball for momentum, then jump your feet back in while lowering arms. Repeat for 2 minutes.
4.) Follow my free posture and breath videos or catch up on some of my best articles:
3 min Energy Boosting Breath and Posture Exercise
Neck and Shoulder Release For Perfect Posture
Pilates For Geeks, Bloggers, and Anyone Who Sits At A Desk
Simple Stretches For Bloggers and Other Desk Bound Souls
Laptops Cripple Millions With Back Problems
No One Wants To Be A Hunchback…Stand Tall With These Tips
5.) Use apps and pop up reminders. Wire your computer or phone to make you take a movement break!
Exercise Minder (Windows, free) sits in your taskbar and pops up animated illustrations of exercises that you can do while sitting at your desk such as leg stretches and arm isometrics. You can set the reminder interval anywhere from 5 to 60 minutes.
Time Out (Mac, free) is a download I personally use to set long or micro breaks. It also comes with the awesome “add your own music” feature so you can bliss out to zen tunes or run in place with techno beats.
Break Reminder is yet another popular Mac app from itunes. Can you tell I’m a mac girl?
I hope these resources keep you moving, breathing and creating better than ever this week and beyond! If you want to go more in depth into your own posture, breath and core work download and start practicing my video series.
What are your strategies for taking movement breaks throughout your work day?
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post Amber! Great advice for all of us “sitters”. It’s truly amazing how much we sit. I couldn’t agree with you more. Every so often I knock out a set of some exercise, whether it’s push ups, leg raises, squats, bridges . . . Or I go through my martial arts techniques–something to get the blood flowing and get off my butt! I always feel better. And I know my back and legs thank me!
Sean- I can picture you now. Burpee’s are always a fun alternative to squats or jacks. Do you use a ball instead of chair?
I think the most important line in this article is, “Humans were meant to move, not sit all day. ” This is something I struggle with constantly at work. I love my job but it involves a full day of sitting as most jobs due in 2011 and although I exercise every day before and after work I am still trying to find a healthy balance to combat all this sitting.
Michelle- agreed! Are you dancing still beauty?
Great website! It really makes you think. It’s funny because I’m a Pilates Instructor so I’m up all day teaching, or running (literally) from studio to studio to teach at various jobs, so on my days off I like to relax. Some times I find myself just sitting for a few hours watching TV and loosing track of time. It’s amazing how quickly the body just gets fatigued and sort of depressed just from sitting still all day. I know that if I would just move a little in between my “resting” then I would feel better. It’s the same for a long work day. We just have to remind our clients of this!!!
Thanks Amanda! I see you teach in the bay as well. Looking forward to hearing more from you. Happy Friday!
Wow this is fascinating. I have been thinking of getting standing desk for a few months now, but this just put me over the edge. Between driving and working, I sit a good 12 hours a day. Ouch!
Joe! Oh wow. I’m so glad you are going to buy a stand up desk for yourself. Merry xmas to you!
Replacing a chair with a stand up desk is just simply insane, I mean try to stand for only 6 hours straight and you will know what back pain really means within a week. You could sit for 12 hours daily and won’t suffer these problems (hint: you need a decent chair).
Also, using mouse or keyboard in standing position will LITERALLY WRECK YOUR WRISTS. Don’t believe me? Just try. Good luck.
I don’t say sitting is good for us, it’s definitely not, but standing is not either. Just ask anybody who used to work in some kind of factory where workers stand by the production line. These people don’t live long and even if they do – they are almost never healthy when retire. Well, they are never healthy after working more than 3-4 years in such conditions. I don’t know many programmers who suffer major health problems after just a few years of professional careers.
Sitting is still more natural for our bodies (see: evolution), BUT I suppose the best solution here is:
SITTING NO MORE THAN 2-4 HOURS A DAY AND LAYING (while working too!), AND GYM.
Don’t forget to replace your mouse with tablet, Wacoom Bamboo Touch should be OK.
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