A lot of people have desk jobs and if you fall into that category, you probably know that you can’t have a standing desk, but there is a simple exercise move that can offer quick relief for back pain.
The 21st century has turned a significant population of the world to become people who sit all day long. In the U.S. Alone, about 86 percent of workers sit all day—from 6 to 13 hours—at their jobs. And after they return to their homes, they promptly seize the opportunity …. to go and sit some more.
Researchers have reported that prolonged sitting, defined as sitting more than three hours a day, is associated with higher incidences of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, some cancers, and premature death.
At its 2013 annual meeting, the authoritative American Medical Association adopted a policy encouraging employers nationwide to invest in sitting alternatives, like standing desks or treadmill desks. But until those become as ubiquitous in workplaces as Post-it notes or bad coffee, what can poor sedentary people do to improve their health?
According to Anthony Delitto, PhD, a University of Pittsburgh physical therapy professor and dean, we should all take regular breaks to perform one essential stretch. “Every hour or two … everyone should stand up and put their hands on their hips, bend backward, and repeat that five times, holding the bending position for three seconds each time,” he recommended, as reported in the Wall Street Journal.
This exercise move gets your spine in the most extended posture instead of being flexed. Experts have reported that doing this stretch relieves stiffness and that it also helps alleviate some of that intradiscal pressure. While you’re stretching, you could recruit your coworkers to join you. Who knows: group stretch today, could result in a standing-desk rally tomorrow?
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Health