I have an office job where I sit at a desk, but I’m up and down all day. I make numerous trips to the copier and my co-workers’ offices. Sometimes I stand up at my desk to work. I have occasionally taken walking breaks where I walk around our shop for a couple minutes to get my blood pumping and my brain fog cleared.
I’m a writer in addition to holding a full-time office job. Taking regular breaks to stand up, stretch, and move around are more difficult to remember when I’m in the middle of an important plot point or writing my blog. I’ve discovered if I do laundry while I write, I’m forced to get up every 30 to 45 minutes to tend to the washer and dryer. While it is distracting, I need that reminder to move around.
I participate in several meetings every month. One in particular lasts for four to six hours. While I enjoy the work we do during our lengthy sessions and get up several times to walk a little, I’m ready for bed once I leave our venue. I find sitting still for several hours more exhausting than cleaning the house or doing yard work. I have the same reaction to traveling via car or plane for an extended period of time. I’m completely wiped out by the time I arrive even though I’ve done nothing more than sit still.
When I was a small child, my grandma used to tell me that I had ants in my pants because I would never settle down. Mom encouraged me to sit down and read, draw, or color when I was little and the adults were at the ends of their ropes with me. Her efforts to keep me quiet and still resulted in my great love of reading and art, but I still have to move around.
My back and neck hurt when I sit too long. My brain slows down, and fatigue sets in from being cooped up. I don’t know if anyone else feels that way or if it’s just me. I need to move around. I can’t even be still when I sleep. My husband calls me an aerobic sleeper because I’m always tossing, turning, and flopping around.
According to current medical wisdom, it’s a very good thing that I’m not someone who can sit still for long periods of time. There’s an interesting website that I found called juststand.org. This website examines the facts about a sedentary lifestyle also referred to as sitting disease. It features calculators for sitting time and calorie burning. There are webinars, infographics, case studies, and all sorts of helpful material on this site.
Juststand.org explains how a person needs to stand up and move around every 30 minutes to maintain proper body functions. This is in addition to engaging in intense physical activity for two and half hours per week. Standing up and moving around throughout the day helps bone health, heart health, circulation, memory, energy levels, and reduces the risk of diseases like heart disease and diabetes.
I know many of you are like me and have office jobs and other activities that require a great deal of sitting. I recommend you make it a point to stand up for a few minutes every now and then. Walk around a bit. Your body will thank you. Thank you for reading Ozarks Maven! If you’ve enjoyed my little seeds of wisdom and joy, please subscribe to Ozarks Maven, Like Ozarks Maven on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter @OzarksMaven.
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