Work chipping away at your physical health?
Our last article looked to tackle your “headspace in the workplace”. Being Exercise Physiologists - the experts in physical function - we thought we better tackle the physical side of things too!
Whether you spend all day at the desk, or whether the opportunity to sit down for a break is few and far between, combating those repetitive workday activities is important to prevent them from chipping away at your health.
Lucky for you, improving physical health in the workplace is what we’re all about at REVA!
The dangers of... SITTING
Okay okay, it doesn't quite live up to your latest horror movie title... But we can assure you that the dangers of sitting are very real!
It is estimated that Australians with office jobs, spend upwards of 77% of their work time seated.
It is also well-known that sedentary lifestyles account for a large portion of the risk associated with many chronic health conditions. Not to mention those smaller aches and pains we know all too well... *sigh*
Fortunately, there are many things you can do to avoid such dangers! Why not try...
Spice up your commute
For the majority of us, we have to get to work somehow... Why not use it as an opportunity to get some activity in at the start and end of your work day? Whether you have the ability to bike or walk the whole way to work, or whether that simply means parking your car / getting off the bus a block away... Those steps add up!
Build activity into your work day
Have you heard of a walking meeting? If the meeting agenda allows it, we suggest giving it a go! Otherwise, small changes like heading to someone's office instead of sending them an email, taking the stairs instead of the lift, or squeezing in a couple of stretches after phone calls... Your body will thank you for it!
Have lunch away from your desk
The amount of people eating lunch at their desks is on a drastic incline - many of which aren't even taking a break while they do so! While we’re sure your boss admires the hard work, we can’t stress the productivity benefits of taking a proper lunch break. If it gets you away from your desk (maybe even outside for some Vitamin D! *shock*) - double points.
The dangers of... LIFTING
That brings us to the opposite end of the spectrum, jobs that are highly physical. Which also have their own precautions!
You might be thinking “I can’t win!”. Don’t fret though, winning in all situations is what we’re here for.
Physical jobs pose risks when people are untrained (physically) for the role they're doing or they ignore the implications of repetitive movement patterns that come with many physical roles.
You can minimise the risk by...
Learning correct lifting techniques
How many times have you been taught proper lifting technique when starting a job that involves lifting? We can hazard a guess that it’s not many... Being proactive and learning safe lifting practices will go a long way - even better, approach your manager and suggest some training in lifting competency! (The team at Reva can help you out with that).
Balance your body with strengthening and/or stretching
Even with perfect lifting techniques, many jobs require us to exert repetitive forces within similar directions and/or planes, all day, every day. Over time this leads to tightness in some areas and weakness in others, which can greatly affect posture overtime. Balancing our muscle groups by targeting the exercises that counteract those repetitive movements can make a huge difference!
Listen to your body
As EP’s it’s not uncommon that we hear of injuries that are prefaced by a “niggle” - the equivalent of a post-it note from your body requesting precaution, or, fatigue in general. Knowing how to listen to your body and learning to slow down or take a pause when things get too much, truly is a priceless lesson.
We put our bodies through a lot and we think they really do deserve some love and consideration.
So whether your role on its own involves 2,000 or 20,000 steps a day - don’t forget to think about the body that’s doing them!
What could you do this week to show your body you care?
Author: Tessa Nielsen
