Bev Alderson led the third session of the day. She tells us we will learn about the impact of too much sitting and take away tools/techniques to help counter this. Bev used to work in IT Management – 18 years – and learnt firsthand what it’s like to have a high-pressure desk-bound job. She pushed herself to the point of being very unwell and so life made her stop and learn how to work properly and look at wellness in a different way. She starts with the question “What do I want to achieve? What wellness techniques can I implement to help with that?”

Sitting burns 1 calorie where standing burns 3, sitting compresses digestion and breathing, so nutrients don’t travel so well. The average person spends 9.3hrs a day sitting – watching telly, drive, eat, work etc. This has an impact. Mind and body are in the same vessel, mind gets less oxygenated blood when sitting. It takes 90 seconds of standing for muscular and cellular systems to kick back in. They work purely by taking our bodyweight.

So, one thing we can do is interrupt our sitting. Stand up and move. Scientists reckon sitting for 6hrs a day = smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. However, there are three key things we can do to help:

1. Ergonomics
2. Preventing/alleviating symptoms of sitting
3. Wellness plan

Ergonomics

The human body was designed to move not sit. We need to think about that and how our desk and chair work. Our spine was meant to be straight: Sit closer to your desk and you will sit up straighter. This will also line up shoulders and elbows. If people hunch over their desks for too long, the spine will curve permanently. The head weighs 5kgs. Hence the aches in the shoulders and upper back from incorrect carriage. Ideally have a chair that provides lumbar support to support the spine. A rolled up towel or cushion is an option. Don’t hold the mouse when you are not using it. It pulls your shoulder forward. Don’t cross your legs for too long as the alignment of your hips will go out and the spine will adjust to that and then will continue to do so.

*Being busy slows down pain receptors…

Your arm rests should be adjustable so that they support your arms. A wrist support is also useful. And for your eyes, every now and again look off into the distance then come back, to give your eyes a rest.

Preventing and alleviating symptoms

But even with a perfect sitting position, you still need to MOVE!! So interrupting your sitting is good. Bev showed us a series of exercises which it was very pleasant to do on a day that involved such a lot of sitting still! Below:

These help to alleviate the structural changes that sitting unfortunately pushes.

Wellness Plan

You decide what to do to recover. What are the few doses of wellness you can do on a regular basis to support body and mind so that it works optimally for us?

What will you do every day?

• You need to look for ways to move more.
• Need to be active in moving body position throughout the day.
• Food is fuel or fun? 80% fuel, 20% fun.
• 10 minute walks
• Use a water glass. Keep going to refill it (especially when your room is up two flights of steps…). Keep going to empty your bladder!
• Do you need to be sat down for all your activities? Can you stand instead? Standing all day is also no good but breaking it up is good.
• Do something fun every day! A dose of daily wellness! (Hobbies, socialising…)
• Rest: take breaks.
• Use breathing exercises to reset nervous system