Restriction put into place by the COVID-19 pandemic shunts physical activities we didn’t know how normal and important they were until they were taken from us. Running errands and visiting the store isn’t as prevalent. Getting a bite to eat or coffee with friends is prohibited. Recreational team sports such as tennis, bocce ball, and pickleball have had their courts chained off to adhere to shelter in place procedures. As we abide by the rules of social distancing, we may have adapted into a new habit. The habit of sitting.
As we wake up and work from home, we go to the kitchen, sit down and eat breakfast. This seems perfectly normal. As breakfast concludes, we endure a treacherous and taxing commute a grueling 10 meters over to our laptops. We might sit down, check emails, conduct project throughout the internet that has given society the ability to work from home. 90 minutes pass by, it might be time for a break. Sure, a walk over to the coffee shop would be nice. Hold up, we can’t do that. So why not bypass that thought for a coffee break? Why not check ESPN.com, peruse the endless stream of social media, or check out the COVID-19 updates on CNN? Seems relaxing enough. Getting yourself away from the tactics of your job might be a good way to break up the work-from-home grind. However, you’re still sitting. That coffee shop visit left a gap of much needed physical activity that proved to be a good filler for our body and minds.
Prolonged sitting issues are at an all time high with the social shift of shelter in place. As we remain indoors, we don’t move as much. Aside from getting up to get a snack and restroom breaks when working from home, activity levels are dramatically declining. This inactivity introduces a gamut of issues negatively affecting our bodies and minds. Not only will decreased physical demand affect the number of calories utilized, but significant parts of the body responsible for the structure stability for adequate movement are hindered. The neck, spine, and hips take an immediate hit. When sitting takes over the majority of the day, postural muscles of the back are not required as much as when we stand. Shoulder blades muscles and along with muscles surrounding the thoracic and cervical spine aren’t required to be as active when seated. As bouts of sitting progress, the shape of the lower body forces the muscles of the lower abdomen and hip flexors to shorten. Blood flow throughout muscles won’t coarse as efficiently to inactive muscles, causing muscles to atrophy and weaken, increasing risks of injury.
We recommend to our personal training clients in Napa to take ensure they perform a critically important tactic before encouraging core specific exercises. This is the encouragement to simply stand up and move. Working from home, looking down at our phones interacting with social media, and advertisements for the next best miniseries on Netflix or Hulu hypnotizes us to sit down and stay married to our electronics.
Do you have some dishes to do? Perhaps some weeds in the back yard are calling out your name on these 70-degree days in our forecasts. I’m sure some youngsters around the house chomping at the bit to throw a frisbee or refine their baseball skills. The prescription to cure to the sitting disease is literally and figuratively right in front of us. It doesn’t require squats, pushups, or jumping jacks. To cure the sitting disease, get up and enjoy Spring with some much-needed opportunities for movement within our home setting.
Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.
