Sedentary is the Enemy!

Hi Folks,

As you may have seen by my recent Tweet & LinkedIn updates, I attended the latest ‘Health & Wellbeing @ Work’ conference at the Birmingham NEC. It was a great few days to see what other companies are already doing & to listen to (& ask questions to) industry leading speakers.

The main sessions that I was interested in were those on lower back pain & those on repetitive strain injuries. However, most of the information was about treatment methods & rehab, where as I’m passionate about PREVENTION. When looking back over my notes after the two days, everything seemed to come down to one basic element – being sedentary!

Whether we are sedentary in a seated position or standing position, it is precisely this lack of significant joint movement that causes physiological changes which then snowball into bigger problems. Most of us already know this, but highlighting it shows just how little we are doing about it in the workplace. Simply being sedentary at work all day then blasting the gym afterwards is not the answer. We must involve ‘tactics’ during our working days that get us leaving our workstation every 40min – 1hr, it’s about frequency not volume. In the fitness industry they are called NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) which means any movement that is not sleeping, eating or sports-like exercise,  I call these ‘Active Strategies’ & some simple examples are:

•         Putting you phone across the other end of the room.

•         Put the photocopier / printer in another room.

•         Go & talk to people face to face rather than calling / sending emails (especially if they’re in the same building)

•         Make sure you take 10min mid morning / afternoon breaks & lunch breaks that involve leaving your workstation.

Yes, some of these Active Strategies may sound inefficient or obstruct your work but by how much? …plus that’s partly the point. It all depends: Do you value your health over your job?

Watch out for more Active Strategies on my website, blogs, & workshops.

James.