The human body was not designed to be a slave to the chair. Over the last thousand-plus years, our bodies, and the musculoskeletal system that helps us move around with such precision, have evolved almost perfectly to daily life. We are one of the few creatures in the world that is bipedal, and that can move, climb and navigate our environments on two feet. When you see most animals on two feet, it just looks awkward – picture chicken, kangaroo, bear. Though the amazing process of evolution, the human form has changed and become optimized to move: movement feeds the brain nutrition in the form of proprioception and explains why so many brain disorders, ranging from dementia to alzheimer’s are significantly reduced with regular walking.
Up until the last half century, humans have spent their days working the fields, building astonishing structures, and mainly performing manual labour. It is only until relatively recently that our culture has called for us to spend the majority of our day stationary in one position, focused on a 17″ screen. Not only is our brain (and the rest of our body) not fed with the “nutrition” that movement provides it when we are stationary, but our bodies take a slow and progressive beating.
Our body and mind is shaped by the stressors they experience on a daily basis. A runner will enjoy the benefits of stronger bones, more efficient muscles and a stronger heart.
How does the body of an office worker adapt? If all we do is sit in a chair, with our backs rounded and our heads forward, that is the posture that we will slowly adopt and become. This is not fear mongering, it is the truth, which I hope will motivate you to take action.
My biggest secret to having a healthy back and great posture at work, is nothing revolutionary. It does not require you to go out and buy a standing desk; even though they allow you to avoid sitting, there does not seem to be a difference between being stationary at a sitting or standing desk. Small tweaks lead to big changes in the long run and that is all it takes.
Enjoy this video to better understand how to beat the Office-Back and feel great at the office
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm9j2e1YxrY]
