People who work at desk jobs often complain of physical pain. I know, I used to be one of them.
My body just hurt, especially my neck. And my shoulders. And my back.
It mystified me. Why the pain? My brain was working hard, but my body wasn’t. I was just sitting there.
And sitting there.
And sitting there.
And that was the problem. Desk jobs–or anything that requires prolonged sitting–are really, really hard on the body.
Because we’re built to move. (Walking, for example, is more than a form of locomotion, it’s also an important part of critical bodily functions such as returning blood and lymphatic fluid back toward the heart.)
Why Desk Jobs Hurt
Prolonged sitting–even with all the ergonomically correct office furniture money can buy–puts some of your muscles into a sustained state of shortening, while others are kept in a lengthened state. Eventually, this can lead to chronic imbalances in groups of muscles.
Furthermore, in bodies designed for motion, inactivity–such as sitting at your desk for hours on end–causes metabolic stagnation.
Muscle imbalances plus metabolic stagnation adds up to….pain.
Cure Desk Job Pain with Motion Breaks
So what’s the cure? Take small, regular activity breaks. Move!
The basic rule of thumb is this: For every twenty minutes of physical inactivity, take a motion break for at least one minute.
Any break is better than nothing. But you can turbo-charge your breaks by following these guidelines:
- Don’t just stretch: MOVE.
- Don’t just move: Do the opposite of what you’ve been doing.
- Don’t just do the opposite of what you’ve been doing once or twice: Do it at least five to ten times. More is better.
Here are some examples:
- If you’ve been sitting, stand up and extend your back (arch it backwards).
- If you’ve been hunching over, open your chest by stretching your arms backwards.
- If you’ve been rolling your shoulders forward, do backwards shoulder circles.
- If you’ve been holding your head forward, retract it. (Pushing your head back (tuck your chin first) against the resistance of your interlaced hands is even better.)
- If you’ve been holding your shoulders up, pull your shoulder blades down and squeeze them together.
- If you’ve been clenching your jaw, move it around.
Additionally, unless you’ve had a neck injury, gentle neck circles are nearly always helpful. And walking is a full-body tune-up. Just be sure to hold your head high, ears directly over your shoulders, and your shoulders down.
Of course, be sensible and don’t do anything that hurts!
How to Break the No-Break Habit
Not taking a break is a habit. How can you change that habit and remember to take a motion break every 20 minutes?
You could bring a kitchen timer to work. . .
Or, you could down-load free break reminder software, such as these:
Time Out, for Macs
Break Reminder, for Windows
Just Do It
It’s hard to be productive when you’re in pain, let alone enjoy your workday. So take a motion break. Now. And again in twenty minutes!
What’s your experience with taking–or not taking–breaks at work?
