So you might be wondering why I am telling you to get off your bum today? And I don’t mean it in the nasty sense, in fact, it is with your best interest at heart beautiful.
Because it is has been proven that the amount of time you spend sitting, will have a long term effect on many areas of your health from the quality of your digestion to your posture.
Two things that are important for natural beauty.
Spending much less time at a desk was one of the major things I committed when leaving my Architecture career two years a go. This was both a scary and exhilarating moment, because as an Architect, the desk had become my ‘home’ for creating new spaces. How was I going to feel without one?
Transitioning into a new role and without a ‘home’ saw a large proportion of my day being spent on my feet. Extreme shift you may be thinking! Sure enough, within a couple of months I saw a dramatic change in both my physical health and state of mind.
What were some of the immediate benefits I noticed?
- Less headaches and sore eyes from staring at the screen
- Clearer thoughts, less brain fog and improvement in mood
- Improved digestion, and coincidentally my allergies improved
- Reduced soreness in back and neck, and improvement in posture
- The time I did end up spending at a desk became (generally) more intentional and effective
And it is not just me that will support you in this one beauty. The more you hunt around, the more you will notice the chatter around the topic in wellness circles.
So exactly what happens to our brain when we sit too much? (according to those in the know)
Our brain: foggy
Our organs: heart disease, over productive pancreas and colon cancer
Our muscles: degeneration, tight hips and limp glutes
Our back & posture: strained, sore, inflexible spine and disk damage
By now you are thinking “it’s all bad news” and I’m pretty sure I can guess your next question…
I have a desk job, so how do I find a balance if I am siting so much?
I totally get it, your dream career might have you spending a large amount of your day in meetings, tapping out emails, or on the phone. If this sounds a little like your day, here are a few tips that might help counteract some of the effects of sitting:
- Take 10mins a day to perform some seated stretches for your neck and back. The beautiful Cora of Cora and Bodhi, shared with us a few simple exercises you can do from your chair.
- Lie longitudinally over a foam roller: sometimes referred to as a spinal drape. This is technique is great for mobilising the Thoracic spine and the Pec muscles which tighten through prolonged sitting.
- Swap up a seated desk for a standing desk. When I am home I love to relax on the sofa and tap away on my laptop, so to mix it up I will often create a standing desk by propping up my laptop on the kitchen bench and opting for the wireless keyboard.
- Get up every hour from your desk: set an alarm, go fill your water glass or make a tea. Stay hydrated to keep that brain functioning and skin beautiful.
- Seek out pockets of ‘accidental’ exercise: take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk or ride to work, walk to the shops or to breakfast on the weekends. Mindfully chose walking over driving when possible, will add up to an extra hour or two every day. It is also a great way to clear the mind at the end of a long day.
- Head to a yoga class to lengthen and stretch your muscles, especially hips, glutes and back.
- If you are a gym or pilates bunny like me, strengthening those glutes and hip flexors is all important when you sit often. Don’t forget your back (upper and lower) either, to improve posture
- PLAY often! combine coffee and a walk with girlfriends, throw around a frisbee with your man, you know we love our biophilia time!
- Go on a day date with your mate, go on a hike, ride your bikes or swap up the movies for an active date like a trampoline park or an indoor climbing gym. Yes, long walks on the beach aren’t just for the movies!
Ultimately, the goal is for all of us to increase the amount of activity in our daily life. And this doesn’t mean we need to strap on our runners and be clocking up the km/s. In fact, it has been shown that regular low intensity exercise will dramatically improve your life expectancy in the long run.
We would love to know your favourite way to get off your bum and get moving?
And if you loved this post, you might like to read a little more about Ruby’s account of her holistic beauty journey. We have dived into her thoughts on alcohol, how you can perform a little detox of your pantry and why this journey has changed her life and health forever.
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