Walk With the Doc Saturday July 15th, 7:00 am Do you sit too much? Demands of life cause many to sit too much. Without strategies to offset the effects of sitting our body eventually suffers. The consequences can include high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, cancer and more. The solution usually requires little more than attention to posture augmented with a wise mix of activities. Interestingly, in the timeline of humans on earth, sitting in chairs is a relatively new innovation. As with most innovations, the chair has brought both helpful solutions and problems. The history of the chair may have its beginning in prehistory when someone inspired by thoughts of a kitchen upgrade rolled rocks to sit on near the campfire. The first record of a four legged chair with a back dates to the ancient Egyptians (2680 B.C.) In the 16th century chairs became more common and elegant chairs became symbols of status. For the common man, chairs remained rare with stools being the norm. With the industrial revolution, sitting became a way of life for factory and office workers. Today, chairs are almost everywhere we go. We sit to eat, sit in our car to travel, sit at work, and sit for recreational activities. By one estimate, the average office worker sits 10 hours a day when all work and personal activities are added in. While sitting less is good, how to do that is the challenge. For most it requires reprogramming habits to blend with demands of life. Often, a simple timer can help make the transition to better habits. For example, if you work at a desk, set the timer to go off at 20 minute intervals. At the buzzer, stand up and move around. As an alternative, work in a stretching exercise. As an alternative to sitting, try standing while talking on the phone or schedule a walking meeting rather than a traditional ‘around the table meeting.’ Alternatively, invite coworkers to join you for a walking lunch meeting or enjoy a solo walk with your favorite audio book. If getting outdoors presents logistical issues, consider a treadmill that allows you to read or use your computer while walking. Another solution is to switch between sitting and a ‘standing desk’ or switching between a conventional chair and a more ergonomically designed chair. Variation in position is good. Just don’t expect variation in sitting and standing positions to be a complete solution since inactivity is a big partner to the problem. While many chairs are advertized as ergonomically designed, how well they can work in your day to day activities depends on how they will be used. For example, the kneeling chair has the advantage of helping shift body weight onto the legs and correcting posture. However, it may not allow you to move the way you are accustomed to moving in a swivel chair. A balance ball chair can make an inexpensive alternative although it’s unlikely to win out as your main chair. While some ergonomically designed chairs are quite novel, most are similar in design to traditional swivel chairs with the main difference being additional adjustments. Before investing in an ergonomic chair, make sure you are using good posture, a good mix of activities and have properly adjusted the chair you routinely use. Sitting correctly in a traditional chair will be more helpful than an ergonomic chair misused. If you have concerns about whether you are using your chair correctly, click here for a quick refresher on how to properly adjust a desk chair. Should you be confined to a chair for extended periods of time because of injury, illness or the nature of your work you have more options for keeping in shape than you might expect. As the videos that follow demonstrate, you can get excellent conditioning exercise without standing up. For a quick overview of exercises you can use while sitting at a desk, visit this WikiHow web page. The links below are to instructional videos demonstrating clever ways to exercise while sitting down. Some of these instructional videos are suitable for the elderly confined to a chair and some for the occupationally limited person needing a higher energy workout. If not finding what you prefer, search the web on the terms “Sitting Down Exercise.” There is an abundance of choices. Likely, you will find a video that resonates with your temperament and need for motivation. 1. Seated Exercises for Older Adults 2. Chair Exercises for Seniors & Beginners 3. Stronger Seniors Strength 4. Fuzion Fitness Chair Workout 5. 20 Min Exercises Sitting Down Workout 6. Fitness Blender’s Total Body Workout 7. Priority One - Getting Started - 106 8. Priority One - Getting Started - 112 Nancy Neighbors, MD Let’s take a walk Date: Saturday, July 15th Location: Jones Family Park (see map) Time: 7:00 am (Meet in front of Yogurt Mt.) Yogurt Mt. is the last store at the end of Valley Bend Shopping Center). If cloudy, bring an umbrella, we walk come rain or shine. Click here for Dr. Neighbors’ 2017 news page If you would prefer to discontinue receiving ideas about healthy living from Dr. Neighbors please phone (256) 882-6085. |
