Our world has changed a lot in recent years. In previous centuries, people spent their waking hours doing all kinds of activities, including walking, reaching, bending, and lifting. In today’s world, many of us spend the same number of hours sitting in a chair. You can still go to work—and be healthy—if you follow these Cheyenne WY physical therapy suggestions for combating this lifestyle.

Some health experts have gone so far as to call the many hours we spend sitting as “the new smoking” when it comes to its detrimental effects on our health. It’s not surprising that some studies show that sitting as much as we do can increase our chance for premature death. Even people who exercise regularly cannot exercise away the negative effects of sitting for hours every day.

Here are some suggestions for staying healthy—in spite of a desk job.

Try to Work Standing Up

Many offices have already begun to implement workstations that enable employees to either sit or stand for working. Some have even installed desks that also act as a treadmill. If you work from home, there are many options available for reasonably priced desks that can be used for standing or sitting.
If you think you might be in the market for this type of desk, check out this article that offers a review of the best standing desks.

Make a Conscious Effort to Get Moving

If it’s not practical to have a treadmill desk, take other opportunities to walk during your work day. Walk when you are talking on the phone. Walk to someone else’s office rather than emailing them. Suggest that a meeting be held while participants take a walk.

Try the “Pomodoro Technique”

Pomodoro—which means tomato in Italian—is a tomato-shaped timer that goes off every 25 minutes. You can also find apps online if you don’t want to get the actual physical timer. When the timer goes off, it will give you a five-minute break. Take that time to do something physical such as taking a walk or doing jumping jacks.

Drink a Lot of Water

Staying hydrated is not only good for your body, but it will mean more trips to the restroom. This, of course, will force you to get up to use the restroom more throughout the day. Having to refill your water bottle is another reason you’ll need to get up from your chair.

Get a Fitness Gadget

There are any number of fitness gadgets on the market today, many of which can be set to remind you to get up periodically. If you get one that counts your steps each day, this can be a great incentive to keep moving to reach your goal—usually 10,000 steps, or 5 miles. You can even set up a friendly competition among friends.

Contact North Platte Physical Therapy to learn more about combating the effects of sitting too much. Our team is respected throughout the Wyoming and Nebraska areas because of our commitment to our clients. We provide comprehensive physical therapy services, and we would be happy to customize a treatment plan that can help you go to your job each day without developing problems related to sitting at a desk for eight or more hours a day. Call us today!