Working from home is tough on our bodies. Even if we go for a morning run, sitting at a desk all day is more likely to damage that hard work than benefit it. In fact, sitting at a desk all day actually weakens your muscles and bones. Now, we’re not doctors, but we can tell you that weakened muscles and bones are bad for your health both short and long term. But, with the average age of retirement steadily rising, we need to find a way to work and live comfortably.
The problem with sitting
Sitting for prolonged periods can cause our bodies all sorts of grief, especially if we aren’t doing it in a proper ergonomic chair. Many home workers sit slumped over a sofa for 8 hours a day, which can cause spinal curvatures and stress to the discs and muscles in the back. When this happens regularly, long term damage can occur - the sort of damage that only a chiropractor can fix - and we know how pricey that can be! By moving more regularly and sitting in a proper ergonomic chair, you can avoid long term damage to your back, spine and neck. You’ll feel more energised, comfortable and able to do your job confidently and pain free.
All of which are made possible by a standing desk.
When you sit down to work, it’s hard to get back up. But if you’re standing most of the day anyway, you’re already burning calories and increasing your blood flow. You are also stretching muscles, keeping your spine straight and avoiding that long term damage. What’s more, it’s easy to exercise whilst working. So here are our 5 flexibility exercises you can do whilst working from home at a standing desk.
Standing Stretches
The Shoulder Stretch
First up we have the shoulder stretch. It’s as simple as standing up straight, grabbing your elbow with your opposite hand and pulling it across your chest. Hold it in a position where it feels like it’s stretching for a few moments and switch. You can alternate these back and forth until you feel a pleasant burn.
The Standing Side Stretch
Now this one gets you moving a bit more. Stand with your feet together and lift your arms above you. Lock your fingers together and whilst inhaling, reach up. Now exhale and bend your body to the right. Hold there for five seconds and switch to the left. This is another exercise you can do several repetitions of until you feel a nice stretch.
The Standing Quad Stretch
It’s time to get those quads working. Stand with your feet together and lift one foot behind you, grabbing your foot with your hand. Pull it towards your body and hold for around 5 seconds then swap sides. Just make sure you have a sense of balance before trying this on a live video chat.
The Standing Calf Stretch
Now we’re really testing out your flexibility. Start by standing in an open space, bring one foot slightly forward and with your hands on your hips and your back straight, take the other foot and send it way back. You can put pressure wherever it feels best and find a comfortable place to hold. Then, it’s as simple as repeating on the other side.
The Forward Hang
Okay, everything up until this point was easy. Now it’s time to take this stretching business seriously. Stand with your feet hip width apart, bend your knees slightly and lock your fingers together behind your back. On the inhale, extend your arms outwards. On the exhale, bend your waist and lean forward. Push your arms down to the ground for the best stretch here. Now, on your first try you may not be able to stretch very far but that’s okay. We’ve started a journey here today and this is just day 1.
Say No to Sitting All Day
All of the above exercises are great, but they’re not possible whilst sitting down. What you need is a standing desk, and a great one at that. The Active Standing Desk EQ5 is furniture designed with your comfort and health in mind. A dual motor saves you the effort of lifting and lowering the desk yourself and memory presets make that even easier. Whilst we do recommend having a chair at hand to take a load off your feet every so often, it’s really about time you upgraded your desk to a standing one.
If you have any other questions about standing desks, work from home exercises or ergonomic furniture in general, get in touch with us. You can also browse our range of ergonomic furniture yourself on our online store.
