Office work is too sedentary and requires a lot of effort to maintain concentration throughout the workday. To reduce professional fatigue, restore performance and/or psycho-emotional balance, you’re happy to distract yourself by “diving” for a few minutes into a computer game, but are you paying enough attention to your body?
Why do we need productive physical activity breaks and pauses?
Various kinds and durations of physical warm-ups during work pauses were invented long ago, and their benefits have been proven over time. In the case of sedentary work in the office they allow:
- reduce the development of myopia;
- Increase the vascular tone of the lower extremities;
- maintain posture, prevent the onset of osteochondrosis;
- maintain the normal condition of the joints;
- stimulate both peripheral and local, such as around the pelvic organs, blood circulation.
How often you should do office exercise
Methodical advice on the number and duration of physical activity breaks in the office is simple and easy to follow:
The exercise break should last from 5 to 7 minutes. It is recommended to do it twice – after 2-2.5 hours after the beginning of the working day and after the end of the lunch break.
PE for 2-3 minutes should be performed as tiredness and at the manifestation of signs of intense fatigue.
In addition to physical exercise in the workplace, we recommend additional involvement of other opportunities to stretch the body. For example, go to the bathroom on another floor and do not use the elevator, but walk up and down the stairs. If you walk down an empty corridor, do a couple of hand strokes, a few cross and backward steps, and if your shoes allow, walk on your toes and then on your heels.
Examples of physical activity breaks
Most often, while working while sitting, the neck and back get stiff and the eyes get tired.
To stretch your spine, you don’t even have to get up, just do the following:
- Throw a piece of paper deeper under the table and pull it out;
- Put your elbow on the table, put your forehead in your palm, press down hard for 7 seconds, then tilt your head back for 10-12 seconds and then repeat with the other hand;
- Touch the floor with your left hand near the left rear leg of the chair, lifting your right hand up, and then repeat in the other direction;
- do several twisting twists, hugging the back of the chair with both hands;
- for 7 seconds, pull the seat of the chair toward you by grasping its front edge with both hands, then do “stretching” for 5 seconds and sit for 5 seconds, arching your back and spreading your elbows, putting your fingers in a lock on the back of your head.
To relieve the symptoms of temporary “false” myopia and computer vision syndrome, your eyes will benefit from a workout to be done while standing at a window. If you want to, you can put in an “artificial tear” beforehand. Do the movements in this order:
- Blink quickly 10-14 times;
- close your eyes and cover (warm) them with your palms for 5 seconds;
- look into the distance for 5-10 seconds, and then, for the same amount of time, look at some defect on the glass (repeat 5 times);
- make 5 circles, looking “clockwise”: to the right – between the eyebrows – to the left – to the tip of the nose, and then 5 circles “counterclockwise”;
- For 10-15 seconds, draw vertical and horizontal infinity signs with your eyes;
- For 20-30 seconds, look at the sky.
If you wear glasses, then in addition pamper the crystals of the eyes with special glasses or lenses with a “computer filter” or blublocker.
Office fitness pause
To get the most positive effects from a 7 minute exercise in the office, we suggest doing this complex:
Exercises from Kegel gymnastics will help to strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor, increase blood flow to the prostate and ovaries, and prevent the development of hemorrhoids. You can pretend to play a computer game, but in the meantime:
- Tense and relax (5 seconds each) the muscles surrounding the urethra 10 times;
- 3 times in a row, but with pauses for recovery, as quickly and strongly as possible, contract (relax) the mentioned muscles until you feel “I can’t do it anymore”.
A whirlwind warm-up of the joints while standing is never superfluous:
- Keeping your balance on one foot with the other foot low off the floor, draw circles inward and then outward with your toes, 8 times each way for the left ankle and the right ankle;
- put your palms on your slightly bent knees and, bending/unbending them, make eight counterclockwise circles and then eight clockwise circles;
- wiggle your pelvis with your feet shoulder-width apart, 16 times to each side.
- make the maximum possible amplitude, circular movements in the shoulders – 8 times, first forward and then backward
- Unfold” the elbow and wrist joints – 8 times each to the inside and outside;
- Make four slow circles with your head counterclockwise and then clockwise.
The Nitric Oxide high-intensity interval complex helps maintain tone and periodically accelerate blood flow in 16 major muscle groups. Exercises can be performed throughout the day, anywhere, regardless of clothing or shoes. The movements are performed without equipment, but you can take dumbbells or replace them with appropriately shaped, water bottles if you wish. One cycle consists of 4 exercises, each done 10 times. Repeat the cycle 4 times, without pauses in between. Move as quickly and vigorously as possible, but not to the detriment of quality. All exercises are performed in the initial position – standing, feet shoulder width apart:
- half crouch, hands forward;
One hand forward and slightly upward, the other underneath, hands clenched into fists – change the position of the hands; - slightly bent in the elbows arms through the sides (during the upward movement, the fingers are straightened, and during the downward movement they are clenched into fists);
- elbows out to the sides, fists above shoulders – straightening/folding arms.
Yoga curl sitting on a chair will increase blood supply to internal organs, stretch oblique muscles of the torso, help to release tension from back muscles, as well as control, and if necessary, return the vertebrae to their physiologically correct position. Instructions:
- Sit in the center of the chair seat, place your feet on the floor, with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle;
- straighten your back, pull your head up;
- put your right knee on your left knee;
- turn your torso to the right, pull your right shoulder back and keep your arm straight, with your “open” palm, the angle between your torso and arm should be 45 degrees;
- put the forearm of the straight left hand, with the palm flat and fingers interlocked, behind the right knee, and twist the torso as much as possible, increasing the rotation of the shoulders and head;
- check the verticality of the spine, freeze in this position for 1-1.5 minutes and do the twist in the opposite direction.
If you really adhere to a healthy lifestyle and watch your physical conditioning, don’t look for excuses, work out in the office. This will help you get better results in the gym and keep you healthy.
