EXPERIENCE SHARED BY DANNY CHUA

From the moment we start school and begin entering the working world, we spend most of our life sitting behind desks. A sedentary lifestyle might be harmful to your health. The less you sit or lie down during the day, the higher your chances of having a healthy life. Based on research, from The Mayo Clinic, sitting for too long causes a prolonged number of health concerns. The health concerns include obesity and a cluster of conditions, including high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and high cholesterol levels. Although I do not suffer from those conditions, it’s best to practice healthy habits and utilize a specific product to reduce the chances of the said illness. Here, I will discuss the effects of a sedentary lifestyle and how I managed to reduce the soreness. 

Daily routine

As a man in my late 20s working in a corporate company, I usually stay seated for long hours behind the monitor. As I have to do my work on a desk, it’s inevitable that I have to remain seated. Most of the time, I get up a few times a day and that includes going to the toilet and getting food from the pantry in the office.  Even though that counts as walking, those little steps aren’t enough for me to sustain excellent physical health. Being desk-bound has caused me agonizing body aches and soreness despite doing light exercises such as walking and weekly house chores.

Effects of being continuously desk-bound

Do you ever wake up with a tight shoulder and chest that hurts when you turn your body? That was my previous experience. Most people are unaware that prolonged sitting, as well as too much sitting in general, is linked to higher mortality rates from cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Luckily in my case, I didn’t face those issues besides body aches.  Staying in the same position where you face the computer for hours and days will affect your posture. There is a medical term for the condition as a result of abnormal forward position – it’s called the Forward Head Gesture. When left untreated, the condition worsens, resulting in irreversible damage. 

Neck Pain

Your neck muscles, like your shoulders and chest, may become strained as a result of supporting your head in that posture. When the pressure from continually gazing down at your laptop begins to build up and intensify, you get neck pain. Moreover, if you sleep on your desk with your head down when taking a break, this will contribute to your neck pain.

Low back pain

Of course, a tensed upper body is usually followed by pain in the lower back. Approximately 80% of people will suffer from persistent lower back pain at some point in their lives. While this is a common condition, it will ultimately affect our overall health and workforce. Lower back pain is clearly a result of poor posture and not having enough support in the chair. Oftentimes, office workers like myself forget to lift my legs after sitting for a while. It’s important to lift your legs or stand up for at least 20 minutes because the sitting posture is at 90 degrees angle, therefore straining the muscles.

Hip stiffness

After sitting in the same position for hours, your hips may feel sore or stiff. Considering that these muscles play a key role in supporting your entire body, if untreated, you may experience greater discomfort than just hip stiffness. Sitting on one side of your buttock or crossing your legs may worsen the pain.

Countering the body aches

Here’s something that I did to improve my sedentary lifestyle as an office worker; besides moving a lot, I also use a specific product to minimize the aching. As I looked for ways to improve my physical health, I stumbled upon a heat pad that reduces the aching of your body. Initially, I was hesitant but I thought I’d give it a try. To my surprise, the product exceeded my expectations! The constant aching has reduced and the soreness from exercising gradually went away. Combined with the heat generated from the device, the product relieves soreness and soothes the pain. Soon, I found myself working out with ease. Certainly, utilizing a product aids with the pain, but always make the time to get active. Instead of using the elevator, I take the stairs. It’s a great physical activity to get those quad muscles pumping. 

Prevention is better than cure

While it may not appear to be physically demanding, these aches and pains can intensify by just sitting at your computer for long periods of time with no exercise. You may start by making some modifications to your work lifestyle to avoid your back issue from deteriorating. Be more conscious of your posture and take regular breaks to stretch. If there are products that you’d like to try to ease your body aches, consult your doctor before using them. Slowly but surely, this can make a difference in your physical health.  What products have you tried to ease your body aches? Leave us your comments!

Credit: Mayo Clinic, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes