Have you ever been at your desk so long that your bum feels numb and your hips are stiff when you get up? Sitting for prolonged periods is required for many jobs, but a sedentary lifestyle leads to heart disease, diabetes, cancer and of course obesity. The phrase ‘sitting is the new smoking’ really catches one’s attention. According to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta eighty percent of Americans don’t get enough exercise. Our desk jobs contribute to that considerably.

Not to worry, fitting small things into your routine can make a big difference. You can park on the far side of the parking lot. Your car will love you for protecting it from door dings. Take the stairs, two at a time if you can. It will raise your heart rate, and work your quadriceps. Walk to lunch or walk to get the mail. Do your best to walk three hours a week. That’s only half an hour a day, and you get a day off.

Having poor posture while sitting at your desk can lead to neck or back pain. With proper alignment, bones, muscles and ligaments are positioned to work without stress. Keep your desk chair so that you have a 90-90-90 position. Ninety degree angles at your elbows, at your hips and at your knees. Keep your lower back against the chair for alignment and support. Your computer screen should be positioned so that eye level is one third down the screen so that you don’t stoop forward.

According to chiropractor, Dr. Sarah Vadeboncoeur, stretching your neck and shoulders during the day is important. Twenty-five percent of the population has neck pain, much of it caused by hunching over our computer screens and phones. Simple stretches can reduce tension and help prevent chronic problems. You can work your upper trapezius by stretching your ear toward your shoulder. Stand in a doorway with arm at a right angle to your torso and your elbow at ninety degrees. Press your upper arm into the door frame and stretch your pectoral muscle in your chest. Side stretches can be done holding one arm over your head and reaching for the knee of the opposite leg.

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple sets his watch to vibrate once an hour to remind him to get up, move around and stretch every hour. Put it on your calendar for a pop-up reminder hourly. Prolonged sitting can actually shorten your psoas and hip flexor muscles creating back pain. Some people have the capability to switch their desk from sitting to standing. If you’re not one of those, these stretches can help.

Hamstring stretch

Tabletop pigeon pose

Squatting

Quad stretch

Psoas stretch

In our jobs we may need to sit for long periods of time, but remember to watch your posture while you work, and get up to walk as well as stretch to maintain your good health.