There are many reasons to keep your body moving
- Mood
- Energy
- Veins
- Brain
- Heart
- Muscles
Many of us have jobs that keep us doing the same motion over and over, whether we’re sitting, waiting tables, or driving a bus.
Mechanically-speaking, you need to keep all of you moving, frequently, and with some vigor!
This topic came up recently in several social media groups I’m in, so I wanted to share my tips here.
Work at a desk/on a computer all day?
- Schedule mini breaks on your phone — yes, actually set an alarm
- Stand up and at least stretch
- Yawning is actually good for your eyesight! It helps to stretch the muscles involved with focusing.
- If you can, boogie on down for 5 or 10 minutes. It gets your heart pumping, loosens your joints, lets blood that’s been pooling in your veins get moving again, gets more oxygen to all parts of your body and brain, and boosts your endorphins — your mood will vastly improve! You’ll work faster and better after getting back to work.
Parenting?
You’re lucky — if you have young kids, you’re moving around in many different ways caring for them. The downside comes with sitting in lines waiting to pick everyone up, standing in line at the grocery store, surviving sleep deprivation, and not popping a vein when the kids are on your last nerve.
- Mini yoga — small movements, short time periods
- Mudras
Stand-up job?
When you’re not in the public eye, stretch and move the parts of you that aren’t already being worked. Stand-up jobs also mean you might need to elevate your feet over your head for at least 10 minutes after your shift to get that blood out of your lower legs and circulating. Varicose veins suck, and can actually become life-threatening (deep vein thrombosis).
Driving job?
Be super careful. Even though you’re moving somewhat, the vehicle is doing most of the physical work. Make sure you take your breaks and really groove it up when you can. Use stop lights and traffic jams to limber up your neck, shoulders, ankles, and wrists.
Wriggle and jiggle, it’s healing!