Keep Your Health Tips

We have become a society that spends a great majority of our time sitting down in front of computers. Many of our jobs require us to use computers for 8+ hours a day and sometimes you may not leave the computer for hours on end.

Humans were not designed to sit around all day with minimal movement, yet this is the type of life that most of us live and it can take its toll on our bodies.

The risks of this type of lifestyle are many, especially if you do not pursue some kind of activity either at work or at home. Some of the major risks include:

• Weight Gain - A lifestyle that requires little more than short strolls to the meetings, copy machine or coffee, combined with increased eating, can pack on the pounds very quickly.

• Loss of Muscle Tissue and Flexibility - Another risk from sitting all day and not getting much activity is deterioration of muscles and loss of flexibility. Muscles get short and tight (particularly those of the back, hip, shoulders, chest and hamstrings) when we sit at our desks all day.

• Back Pain - Prolonged sitting is also a risk factor for herniated disks. Movement is the only way that your disks and the spaces surrounding them can get the nourishment and blood flow that they need in order to stay supple, strong and flexible.

• Reduced Bone Density - After the age of 30 most individuals experience some kind of bone loss, but this process can be accelerated by sitting around all day and not stressing your bone structures. Exercise helps greatly in slowing down the rate of bone loss that happens naturally.

Just because you spend most of your time at a desk doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to become soft. However, you’re going to have to make an effort to get in shape during your free time to help counteract the effects of the non-active work day.

That means burning calories through walking, jogging, biking, aerobics or other physical activity to help maintain weight and keep yourself in good cardiovascular health. And you’ll need to strength train to keep muscles in shape.

Tips to Keep Moving

• Keep in mind that all exercise adds up. Small changes in your habits, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or delivering by hand a memo to a colleague down the hall instead of e-mailing it, can equal significant benefits and calorie burn over the long term.

• Aim to sit no longer than 50 minutes at a time. Take a few minutes to get up and get your body moving through a short walk or some other kind of movement.

• Stretching is a good idea because muscles get short and tight (particularly those of the neck, wrist, back, hip, shoulders, chest and the hamstrings) when we sit hunched over at our desks for long periods.

• Get the blood flowing through your back by taking short exercise and stretch breaks to alleviate pressure on the disks and nourish them.

• Even something as small as a brisk 15-20 minute walk during your lunch break can help maintain your body and muscles. It will also help relieve stress.

By making some small changes to your daily routine you can prevent weight gain, have more energy during your work day and will be more productive.

About The Author:

As a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) by the NSCA, Jason Krantz’s focus is on significantly improving the power levels and injury resistance of all golfers. He specializes in power enhancement and all related components of improved golf performance and health.

If you are a golfer and would like some off-season golf power training tips be sure to read his off-season golf fitness training guide at http://www.sonicboomgolf.com/OffSeasonGolfFitnessTrainingProgram.php

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