If you have a job that chains you to your desk, it’s likely you feel the side effects of sitting for prolonged hours. Backaches, muscle tension, headaches, or other joint issues or inflammation are all symptoms you may be suffering from if you are sitting for far too long. It’s common that most of us have terrifying posture and the thought of stretching is far in left field; however, sitting does not have to cause pain, especially with the rise of WFH and the ‘desk job’ lifestyle. We have listed the top three ways you can improve your desk-ridden lifestyle and live without pain.
Proper Posture
Sitting up straight has never been such a daunting task than when you’re sitting at your desk for hours on end. News-flash, you shouldn’t be sitting for that long in the first place, but we’ll get to that later.
First off, your butt. Sitting on your butt properly can help immensely. Start by pushing your butt back so it’s in line with your torso, and then focus on sitting on your ‘sit bones’ which if you’ve ever been to yoga you’ll be familiar with this term, but if not listen up. Basically, you’ll want to tilt your pelvis so you’re not sitting on your tailbone, but you’re evenly distributing your weight in your butt and thighs.
Next step: your back. You’re going to want to sit with your back straight and shoulders back. If you sit for too long with your back rounded, it will create pain and discomfort which we want to avoid.
Stand Up or Move Every 30 Minutes
As mentioned before, sitting for too long is not ideal – i.e. you should not actually be sitting for hours on end. A good goal to set for yourself is to get up every 30 minutes and walk around or just stand up and shake out your arms and legs. This gets the blood flowing in your body and stops it from just pooling (weird mental picture right?).
The consistent movement also encourages you to get ready for the day (if you go straight from waking up to working), or take a break and eat lunch (we could never pass up good food). You’ll also find that the movement leads to a boost of endorphins (feel good hormones) which will only make you more productive after!
Stretching
Most of us seem to put off stretching until that perfect hot yoga class rolls around. To be fair, the tranquility of just being present in a room with a bunch of sweaty people and your mat – who wouldn’t want to join in on the fun?
In all honesty though, stretching boasts some pretty awesome benefits, and not just for counteracting sitting all day – although that’s our primary focus for today. Even if you wholeheartedly believe you’re the most inflexible person to roam the Earth, just throwing on a Youtube video (or keeping your eye out for some tutorials on TVL’s Instagram) on how to stretch to relieve tension after a day of working can help so much after a long day. Whether you’ve spent the day in an office or surfing at a beach, stretching is a must try for everyone out there!
You don’t need a fancy yoga mat or the newest Lululemon attire to try it out, just a flat (or somewhat flat) surface to sit down on and some exercise clothes (that old baggy t-shirt and some sweats). Then you’re set to start relieving some stiffness and discover some positions you didn’t even know your body could get into!
If you have any questions, you can reach out to us through our contact page. Also, be sure to follow us on social media where we post VA tips and tricks, lifestyle and travel content, and more!
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