Don’t Take A Seat

I read the following article in Natural Awakenings. It’s worth re-typing, and it gives me a chance to do my calf stretch and pelvic lists at my standing work station.

Hey wait a minute, there is a PC user on my Mac! (That’s my husband-he gives me a hard time about my Mac, but he secretly wants one)

A multi-ethnic study of 4,757 U.S. adults in a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that those who took the most daily breaks from sitting had, on average, a smaller waist circumference, fewer blood fats and reduced markers for insulin resistance than those who took the fewest breaks. The researcher also noted increased levels of C-reactive protein in the bodies of sedentary subjects, which is linked to inflammation and many chronic diseases, even in people who regularly exercise.

To get moving: Stand up to take phone calls and during meetings; walk to visit a colleague, rather than phoning or emailing; use a bathroom on a different floor; centralize trash and recycling bins and office equipment to encourage short trips during the work day; take the stairs; and park at the far end of the lot.

Source: European Society of Cardiology

And my favorite way to get out of a chair- don’t sit in one in the first place, create a standing workstation.

Here are some ways to do your Restorative Exercises™ while at your standing workstation, stretch your foot over a ball- work all areas of the foot letting your foot melt over the ball…ahhhh feels good!

Pelvic lists- stand on one foot on a box or the ground, push into the ground with your standing leg to clear the other foot from the floor by using the glutes and lateral leg muscles of the standing leg-hold for a minute or more.  Feel the burn.  See my video on how to do the pelvic list here and why it’s important.

And of course the calf stretch on a half cylinder to increase your posterior stride length. See calf stretch video here.

My husband wants me to let you know that the feet in the three images above are not his- his feet are much more manly.  …he wanted me to let you know that as well.

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