Motion is life, and life is motion. We've probably all heard that phrase before, and it's indeed a true statement. In this section, we're going to explore movement and identify effective ways to use activity and exercise to feel great all day. Despite what you may have been thinking, you don't actually need a gym membership or a sweat intensive training routine to effectively apply movement to your work. Creating a healthy workstation and maintaining a healthy working body is different than training for a sports goal. It's more about simple habits that keep you energized and pain free all day.
Making the worker fit for the work doesn't require Olympic level conditioning, or large commitments of time, energy or money. Let's start by revisiting the data Definition of movement at the lifetime body, and at any healthy workstation, we can recognize movement as everything we do when we're not stationary. All of our random positional adjustments, chores and daily tasks are known as general daily activity or GVA. And we reserve exercise as the descriptor for the slightly more intentional form of movement. This is when we perform exercises and programs with the goal of improving a specific aspect or component of fitness function, or performance. It's actually when we take those strategic breaks at work, such as the two minutes every 20 option we discussed earlier, that we can insert small doses of activity and exercise to our benefit.
Taking regular breaks in the work date has been proven, has been proven by research to improve overall work performance and job satisfaction, while at the same time providing an opportunity to enhance health and fitness. We're going to Review four kinds of movement and and the ways in which you can use them successfully. First, there is general daily activity. gda is the secret to avoiding status, and it can take on Infinite forms. As a basic health prescription. Many authorities will recommend a minimum of one hour of gda per day, with perhaps a bit more being optimal.
This works best if done in a cumulative fashion throughout the day spread out like that, as opposed to all at once. You want your body to be frequently nourished with activity to keep the tissues from Stephanie, and to prevent the metabolism from stalling. I like to encourage everyone to make some of their gda a walk outside for 10 to 20 minutes. The benefits of fresh air oxygen and sunshine are many in research supports that even a brief walk outside improves brain function and cognitive ability. You may need to squeeze in some of your gda Before or after work, but try to build as much activity as possible into your actual work day. With exercise, we're going to review three specific areas.
These include workstation exercises that involve easy exercises you can perform at both sitting and standing workstations. These will break up chronic stressors, while at the very same time improving circulation and comfort. We'll also cover some basic structures to prevent Stefani and to maintain overall mobility. And finally, we'll perform some simple conditioning exercises to improve fitness and work tolerance. As with any exercise program, it's important that you have appropriate medical clearance to participate and that you proceed at your own pace, avoiding pain and modifying the exercises as needed. workstation exercises are easy to perform they can be done in a Any order and you can use them all or just a few.
They're designed to be executed in a flow state, performing three to four repetitions each with smooth rhythm, or about 10 to 15 seconds per exercise. Let's begin with seated workstation exercises. You can use these during some of your take to every 20 minute breaks and even while working. Ankle pumps are performed by straightening a leg and then pumping the ankle back and forth several times. leg extensions are conducted by lifting the leg and straightening fully at the knee squeezing all the leg muscles and then relaxing and lowering slowly. Chair partial squats can be performed by scooting to the front edge of your chair and leaning forward slightly.
Then press into the feet as though you're going to stand up right You may elect to barely leave the surface of the chair or rise up a few inches as in this example. Chair dips are performed if you have a chair with armrests simply place your hands on the armrests and press into them, straightening your arms and lifting your body into the air lower slowly under control. overhead presses can be performed by reaching or pressing your arms overhead as far as comfortably possible, and then lowering slowly. Shoulder shrugs are conducted by lifting the ears up towards the shoulders, squeezing up and back slightly and then relaxing fully as you allow the shoulders to sink downward. Neck rotations are performed by gently turning your neck from side to side in the range of motion that is comfortable for your neck. From there, go to next side bends and side Bend the ear towards the shoulder as far as it reasonably goes each way.
Finally, neck forward bending and backward bending exercises can be done by bending forward until the chin approaches the sternum or chest and backward bending to the extent that feels reasonable for your neck. Now let's examine standing workstation exercises. You can utilize these as you prefer using the same parameters as the seated exercises. marching in place is performed by standing in a safe area and marching the legs up and down. Using approximately 90 degree bends at the hip and knee. You can involve your arms if you like or you may prefer to hold on to something for additional balance.
Calf raises can be performed on a flat floor or for greater range of motion. You can utilize a book or a board placed Under the balls of the feet, simply rise up as far as possible and lower slowly. Partial squats are performed by assuming a shoulder width stance, with feet, primarily pointing forward from their squat up and down through the amount of range that feels best for you. Be sure not to hold your breath. trunk twists are performed by turning from side to side and allowing the shoulders and hips to move freely, but not violently. shoulder blade squeezes are performed by squeezing the shoulder blades back and pinching them together for a second and then relaxing forward.
The side bend and reach exercise is performed by bending to the side and reaching up and over as far as you reasonably can. Finally, place your hands on your hips and do a backward bend forward fold maneuver in which you bend forward and backwards. Through the range that feels best for your body. Basic stretches are performed in a gentle manner with a five to 15 second hold of the position and relaxed, slow breathing. Neck stretch one is performed by allowing one arm to either hang beside the body or to place the hand slightly behind the back. Gently pull the neck away from that side while looking or rotating in the direction of the downward arm.
Be sure not to pull forcefully and also breathe in a relaxed manner. next stretch to is performed by reaching an arm overhead and then downward behind the neck. from that position, gently grasp the head and pull it forward in a way in other words rotating inside bending away from the elevated arm. The cross body arm stretch is fair self explanatory without twisting excessively reach an arm across the body and then use the other arm to add to the stretch. The arm behind the head stretch is where you reach overhead similar to the next stretch number two, but now you use the opposite hand to grasp the elbow and pull into that stretch slightly more wrist stretch one is performed by extending the elbow, flexing the wrist in hand and rotating the arm until the fingers face out to the side from the body. Then take the other hand and particularly the pad of the third finger placed over the third knuckle and apply a slight overpressure into that position.
Wrist stretch to is performed by extending the arm in front of the body, extending the hand and fingers and then gently pulling back towards the body to create the stretch. The chest and bicep stretch involves lacing the hands behind the body and then straightening the arms backward and slightly upward. The torso lengthen or stretch can be done using a desk or a chair and by placing the hands at shoulder width or slightly narrower in a chopping arrangement, from there, bend forward and walk the hips slightly backwards to flatten the spine and lengthen the torso. The posterior leg stretch sometimes called a hamstring muscle stretch can be performed by placing your straightened leg outstretched leg onto a chair and assuming a very tall torso posture and tilting forward slightly, you don't have to put your forehead on your knee in fact, that's that may not be appropriate for many people to do.
The step up stretch would be using a chair or even a desk Very flexible or tall individuals and placing a foot in the elevated position and then sinking into the stretch. The lower leg stress can be performed using a wall or other sturdy object to lean against. And then place one leg behind the other. put most of your weight into the back heel and keep the knees straight. And finally, the thigh stretch can be performed by pulling your heel towards your buttock and make sure you hold on to something for balance. conditioning exercises can be done at home, at the gym, or in an office exercise area if you have one available.
These address many of the postural concerns which we have discussed, and also help you to develop fatigue resistance and durability through the work day. Try to perform approximately 10 repetitions of each exercise. These movements can be used as warm up or cool down in other sports or fitness workouts that you do as Well, equipment requirements for these exercises are quite simple. All you need is an exercise mat or carpeted floor space, a yoga block or similar book of foam roller and exercise strap or a piece of webbing material and a rolled towel. The chin tuck on the block or book is performed by laying comfortably on your back and placing the back of the head on the block or book. Be sure to support only the head on the block and not the neck itself.
In this position, while maintaining slightly downward or rearward pressure on the back of the head, gently tuck the chin into the stretch position and then relax out of it slowly repeating several times. The foam roller back extension is performed by lying on your back with feet flat and knees bent and placing the shoulder blade perpendicular to the spine in the shoulder blade region at a point which feels most needed or most comfortable for you. From there, be sure to support the weight of the head with the hands and lean back over the roll keeping your hips on the mat and flaring the elbows out into the stretch. fold forward bringing the elbows closer together again and then repeat the foam roller supine or backline t y and I exercise sequence is performed by lying on your back on the foam roller with it supporting your spine in a parallel fashion.
Getting into this position can be a slight challenge. So you may want to use your elbows on the ground until you feel safe. after which time you'll probably be stable and can move into the movements. Start with the letter T. And what that means is you're going to place your arms outstretched over your chest and let them fall out to the side. under control as though you're making a letter T with your body. Do that several times and then progress into the shape of the letter Y and ultimately the letter I.
In addition to moving the arms through this plane, try to reach them as far away from the body as possible and stretch and spread the fingers as well. The bent knee role is conducted by lying on your back with your feet flat and knees bent. Gently roll or allow the knees to fall from side to side and bring a stretch into the hips and torso. The bridge or hip lift exercises conducted from the same position. Press into your feet and lift your hips as high as comfortable and shoot for an approximate straight line that runs from the shoulder blades through the hips to the knees. The alternate knee to chest squeeze is perfect.
Formed by lying on your back and raising a knee towards the chest, grasping it with the hands and then gently squeezing it into the stretch. Release it slowly and alternate sides. The 90 degree 90 degree leg mobilization with the strap is performed by lying on the back and lifting one leg so that it's in the position of 90 degrees at the hip and the knee with the strap under the foot. Use the strap to both assist and resist the raising of the foot or the straightening of the knee so the lower leg goes up into a straight arrangement. Lower down to the start position and repeat. The partial press up is performed by lying on the stomach with the hands near the shoulders in a push up position.
Gently press the body up into a cobra type position going only As far into backward bend as is comfortable for your spine, the prone t why and I exercise using the towel roll is a complement to how we did that on the foam roller. Lay on your stomach and place a rolled towel under the forehead. This allows you to keep the neck straight and have a comfortable breathing arrangement. While performing these exercises. Start by reaching out into the shape of the letter T trying to straighten the arms and bring the thumb side of the hands up towards the ceiling. Then using the muscles in the upper back and shoulders.
Squeeze the hands up into the air and lower down. After repeating your 10 repetitions move to the position of the why and the eye. You may need to take breaks with this because it can be surprisingly tiring. The slow motion split stance squat is conducted by standing on your mat with feet spread into A lunge or split stance position. From there slowly lower down to a point that's comfortable, you can touch your knee to the mat if that is appropriate for you, and then rise back up. perform your 10 repetitions on one side and then do the other side.
The pelvic tilt against the wall is a challenging exercise because what we're trying to do is stand with the body against the wall. For the most part, start with your feet and touch the wall and then move them out about one inch. Make sure that you've got the arches jacked up and the knees slightly unlocked. Then you'll notice you're contacting at the hips shoulder blades and hit head. From here, tuck the chin slightly. Pinch the shoulders back slightly.
Open the hands and then from that position trying to recruit your abdominal muscles to level the pelvis as we as we've discussed previously, and pressure lower back closer To the wall, it's not necessary that you eliminate all airspace behind your lower back because that may be excessive for most of us and our unique anatomies. But you're going to press into that position doing the pelvic tilt against the wall and you'll notice that my waistband kind of comes upward as I do that, and at the very same time, I'm kind of pulling in using all of my abdominal muscles. Next up is the Scarecrow exercise and that's basically building upon the pelvic tilt on the wall. Place your elbows into the wall and bend them at about 90 degrees from their attempt to rotate backwards as though you're going to press the backs of your hands into the wall.
Give that a squeeze for a split second and then release away and repeat. The final exercise in this sequence builds upon both the pelvic tilt and the Scarecrow exercise and it's called the wall Angel. What we do is we maintain that backward pressure into the wall, and we try to keep the contact of the hands as we sweep them up and down the wall. Then you'll notice with this exercise, I have some difficulty because I'm currently recovering from some shoulder injuries and rehabilitating them. But ideal posture or form with this exercise would be keeping a bend in the elbows and raising overhead without losing contact with the wall. I'd like to encourage you to experiment with all of these exercises.
Have fun trying them out and use them all or pick and choose among them to find the ones that work best for your unique body and your workstation. And remember, motion is life and life is motion.