The Problem with Modern Work
Like the increased time we spend in cars and in front of the TV, most of us work more hours than our parents and grandparents did. And while we certainly have more money and live at a higher standard than our parents and grandparents, we have paid a price for the money we earn.
For one thing, while we do, as you have read, enjoy healthier bodies — fewer deaths from infectious illnesses, for example, our quality of life has changed. We are stressed, we are fatter, and we have sacrificed time with our families and friends.
By the time a child leaves high school, she will have sat for more than 40,000 hours, over half of her waking life. This is one reason it is so important to encourage your child to be active when she's not in school, and, also to make sure your child's school gives her time to be as active as possible during the day. Too much sitting as she grows up will hurt her body when she's older.
Although it would be wonderful to start a fitness revolution, it is more realistic, at least in this moment, to instead be aware of this situation. Accept that your life is not as active as it should be, and that much of the reason for that is your job. Therefore, one important thing you can do is change the way you live during your work day.
Sitting Differently
Sitting too much and sitting improperly are equally troublesome to your body, but we're going to tackle sitting improperly first. Consider the human body, which was designed to move, and, at the very least, stand or squat. Chairs and couches were not part of the package until Man decided he could invent a better, more comfortable way for us to sit.
Sitting doesn't hurt while we're doing it because we're not holding up our own weight. So, while we might feel uncomfortable twinges in our hips or lower backs while we sit, our bodies don't tend to hurt because they don't get tired. But that doesn't mean sitting doesn't hurt us. We just feel the pain later when we try to move as we were meant to.
There's only one problem: while we are comfortable in chairs and couches, because we rest in them, our bodies aren't really that happy. First, sitting crunches up our hip flexors (the muscles that run from our lower ribs to our hips) while, at the same time, stretching our lower back and butt muscles. And we stay in this position for hours at a time.
Imagine if you were to stay in a lunge or a squat or the top of a pushup for hours. It would hurt, right? And you would change positions, right?
We also slouch when we sit, sinking into chairs and allowing our core muscles to not work, so that when we do need to stand or walk or do anything active, our muscles are too weak to accomplish our goals efficiently. Following are some suggestions to counteract these problems.
Try Standing Up
Many companies will construct work areas at which you can stand. While the idea may seem tiring to you at first, after a day or two, you'll really notice the difference in the way your back feels. Want to know a secret? This entire book — all 85,000 words — was written standing up. My back felt (and still feels) great.
Get a Ball
Another thing people are trying is sitting on their exercise balls at their desks. This is a good idea because it forces you to use your core muscles as you sit. One problem, though, is that it can be tiring, because you are, in fact, exercising while you work, so have a chair (or a place to stand) nearby during your workday.
Make Your Workstation Inconvenient
If you have to stand up to reach for your stapler, bend over to get your tape dispenser, and move across your office or cubicle to grab a file, you'll unconsciously move more, which will counteract the problems of sitting too much.
