How to Stay Healthy When You Work a Desk Job
Collaborative Post
The real problem with desk jobs is that physically, your body starts to adapt to the shape of your chair. Your brain enters a low power mode because your large muscles are completely offline, and that leads to a weird kind of mental fog that caffeine cant actually fix. You don't need a lecture on standing up every hour because you already know you should do that but you probably aren't doing the small things that actually keep your biology from stalling out.
Blood flow
When you sit for hours your blood pools in your lower legs and it makes you feel heavy and sluggish. One thing to try is the soleus pushup which is just a seated calf raise that you can do while you’re typing or even in a meeting. It’s a specific movement that triggers a metabolic process in your lower legs and it keeps your blood sugar more stable than if you were just sitting still. It sounds like a tiny thing but it keeps your system from going into a deep freeze while you are working away.
Hands and grip
Your hands and forearms get locked into a cramped position on the mouse and keyboard and it eventually messes with your shoulders and neck. Buy a heavy grip strengthener or a tennis ball and keep it in your desk drawer so you can work your hands while you are on a call. Improving your grip strength is a major marker for long term health and it offsets the repetitive strain that comes from being a desk warrior.
Lighting
The harsh overhead lights in most offices are terrible for your circadian rhythm and they make your body think it is noon even when the sun is going down. If you can get near a window or bring in a small lamp with a warmer bulb it will help keep your hormones from getting completely out of whack. It seems like a minor detail but the light you sit in all day dictates how well you sleep tonight and how you feel tomorrow morning.
Exercise
When you spend all day in a chair, your bones and joints get weak because they arent being challenged and eventually you start to feel fragile. Joining a gym like Fitness 19 gives you a dedicated space to reverse the damage by forcing your body to move through full ranges of motion. Research has shown that sitting is bad for your health, so getting a stand up desk is one way to balance out this kind of job, you can also get under desk exercise equipment too. Even something like a walking pad can be handy to keep in your office if you work from home, hop on for a few minutes each hour and you get to stretch your legs even if it’s raining or while you’re waiting for the next call to come in.
—End of collaborative post—
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