I am still amazed at the number of people I speak to who spend hours at their desks at home or at work without getting up or moving at all.
Did you realise bad posture alone can give your brain up to 30% less blood and oxygen, which in turn greatly affects your energy and concentration.? Along with good posture, the most effective way to fight energy lulls is with doses of good stretching and good breathing. You should aim for a minimum of two minutes of stretching for every hour you spend at your computer or desk. Obviously not all work environments are conducive to you standing up and doing star jump so below I have listed some different ideas for rejuvenating your mind and body at work or at home. Each will only take a few minutes, but will make a big difference to how you feel.
- Hop in the lift and go down 3 floors and then walk back up the stairs.
- Massage your head and shoulders. Find trigger points of tension in the shoulders and base of the skull. Hold pressure for 6-10 seconds. Don’t forget your face and jaw.
- Take one steps back from your desk and lean forward until you’re at an angled push-up position against the edge of your desk. Do a couple quick sets. (make sure your desk is not on rollers)
- Star Jumps for 30 seconds. Simple, quick and wakes you up.
- Squeeze a stress ball. Relieves stress while strengthening forearms and wrists for typing.
- Try word puzzles. Keep a jigsaw puzzle in your office.
- Switch hands with whatever you’re doing, to balance the load on muscles.
- Try to stand up and move or stretch whenever you are talking on the phone.
- Forget the boardroom. Try to hold walking meetings.
- Hand-deliver mail, memos and faxes within the building.
- Chat face-to-face instead of by e-mail or phone.
- Use a bathroom on the other side of the building or another floor.
Even if you just stand up and stretch , try to make it a goal to get up and move every hour from now on.
“A man who wants something will find a way;
a man who doesn’t will find an excuse.”
Yours in health,
Dirk Hansen