Are You Sitting Too Much? Tips for Getting Off Your Butt!

  Have you ever taken a road trip … and when you finally get there, your body is mad at you when you get out of the car? 

Like, it almost refuses to straighten up all the way and let you walk like a normal human being?

Your hips and back feel soooo locked up … and you end up shuffling like Frankenstein across the parking lot before you can move freely again?

The same thing can happen if you sit all day at work. Except not only do your hips and back feel locked, but also your shoulders and neck. 

YIKES!

If this is something that happens on a regular basis, it can land you in a no-win cycle of aches & pains and maybe even injury.

It goes something like this:

• You get aches & pains because your muscles are tight from not moving.
• So you end up moving even less, because you have aches & pains.

You can see how over time, this can put some real limits on your lifestyle and even your health!

In fact, you can get what's called "dead butt syndrome" from sitting too much.

The good news is that there are some SIMPLE things you can do to break the cycle (and even avoid it in the first place)..

In fact, you can get what's called "dead butt syndrome" from sitting too much.

Here are some ways you can get up off your duff, at work and at home:

1. Get yourself a kitchen timer and set it to go off every 30 minutes. Get up, move around, and stretch for five minutes once the timer goes off. Or, if you're at work, create an appointment with a reminder on your calendar;keep snoozing the reminder for 30 minutes.
2. At work, walk over to your co-worker's office instead of using the phone or e-mail. Take the long way on purpose or even walk up and down a couple of flights of stairs.
3. If you have a FitBit, use their Hourly Activity feature.  It shows you how many steps you take per hour -- and how much time you're spending sitting down!  Set your goals and stick to them!
4. If you're watching TV (and I can't convince you to turn it off), M-O-V-E during commercial breaks instead of flipping through the channels, waiting for your show to come back on.
5. Consider getting an exercise ball chair and engage your core muscles and improve your balance while sitting, instead of plain, old sitting.
6. Can you work standing up? I alternate between my desk and a kitchen island.  Would your workplace consider buying you a standing desk?  Can't hurt to ask!
7. Pace while you're talking on the phone.  There's no need to sit while talking.
8. Can't get out of the office?  Do these office exercises by Paige Waehner and show your chair it can't hold you back.

So, stop sitting in one place for hours on end for a better, healthier you. (And I bet your butt will end up looking nicer, too! ;-) )

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