Schoen Julie - At Office Yoga: Your At Work Yoga Guide For Stiff Bodies That Sit All Day

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There are very few of us who have the luxury of not being trapped behind a desk for several hours every day. Even when work does not require us to be sitting in a chair, hands on the keyboard, we modern humans tend to choose to do so as a form of relaxation. But have you ever noticed how your body looks and feels when you are sitting or typing? Its not pretty and in reality its anything but relaxing.

The chair itself is a modern invention, the solution to our evolving lifestyle, earning a spot in the forefront of our lives as we moved from active hunters, gatherers, and farmers to corporate 9 to 5-ers. And while it serves its purpose (in fact the idea of life without chairs seems oddly laughable), the chair is wreaking havoc on our bodies.

As you sit, your body shifts out of alignment shoulders hunch, low back collapses, and hips tense as the muscles in the legs shorten and contract. The more you sit, the more accustomed your body gets to what it feels like when it is misaligned. Sitting starts to feel natural when really it is anything but! Take a moment to think about little kids; they have a very hard time sitting still. Why? Its uncomfortable for the human body! Any first grade teacher knows that if they dont give their young students frequent breaks theres trouble in store. The same should be true for adults as well, but it isnt because we have adapted adapted to being uncomfortable and unhappy.

And it goes further than just being uncomfortable. A sedentary lifestyle makes your bottom literally expand (and by expand I mean get huge) from sitting for hours on end, day after day. More seriously than just outward appearance, long stretches of sitting put you at higher risk for disease and illness (like obesity, heart disease, and diabetes) and early death as well. As you sit, your body starts to shut down metabolically, which means fewer calories are burnt, circulation slows, and the chances of feeling depressed, lethargic, and moody skyrocket.

For this reason, many office mice soon turn into gym rats, hoping to balance out the hours of sitting with an hour or two of intense activity. Although the logic is there, the evidence is not. You simply cant undo the negative effects of too much sitting by working out before or after. Even if you are the fittest, most in shape person you know, but you sit for hours on end, you are still more likely to die earlier than a person who is not in as good of shape but who moves more frequently throughout the day.

In order to be healthy, feel good, and look awesome you have to start incorporating movement into your day and a lot of it. It doesnt have to be hard and you dont even have to leave your desk. In a recent study of thermogenesis by researchers at the Mayo Clinic it was discovered that even just small movements, simple stretches, even tapping your feet, can mean the difference between being obese and staying healthy because even the smallest motions keep your body functioning and your metabolism running.

The answer to great health is smaller than you probably imagined and so easy there is absolutely no excuse why you cant get started now! You dont even have to stop working if you dont want to just move! Guaranteed your body will feel so much better, your mind will clear, stress will dissipate, and you will start to feel like that little first grader again excited about life and ready to take on anything!

Now whos with me?

Even the simplest stretching routines added to your day can do wonders for your body by boosting metabolism, burning calories, reducing pain, and overall improving your quality of life. The more you move, the better! And the best part about yoga is that it doesnt just get you moving, but it is proven to help mitigate the harmful effects of stress as well!

If you can do just one of the following yoga sessions each day you will start to feel the difference in your mind and body almost immediately. But why stop there? Three brief yoga sessions each day will make you the happiest (and might I add best looking) worker bee at your office! Today is the day you start changing how you feel, look, and work lets do this!

PRE-WORK YOGA SESSION

Perform this short yoga sequence each morning before work to help loosen the muscles of the hips and shoulders and also lengthen the spine before a long day of sitting.

1. Shoulder Opener with Strap

Stand tall with a strap (or dog leash, scarf, etc.) between your hands. It may take a few times to figure out exactly how far apart your hands should be, but a good place to start is a little wider than shoulder width. Straighten your arms out in front of you and as you inhale begin to lift the strap up and over your head. As you exhale, continue moving the strap behind you, keeping the arms straight and the chin lifted parallel to the ground. Inhale and bring the strap back up, exhaling as the strap returns to your starting position.