- You sit in the one spot too long
There is a popular catch phrase in the physiotherapy community and it states that ‘sitting is the new smoking’.
So this may be a little harsh comparing the two but there is a lot of research linking lower activity levels to a number of chronic health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. We also know that sitting in the same position for multiple hours may lead to muscle tightness, stiffness and pain.
We here at Active Lifestyle Physio believe your best posture is your next one. That means that you should move often, trying to change sitting posture at least every 1 hour if possible. You should also try and add in short walks around your residence and gentle stretches.
2. You don’t have an ergonomic setup
With the current lockdowns being very dynamic, we can appreciate our clients struggling to get a good work setup organised at home.
The key things we look for are:
1. Your desk being at elbow height
2. A chair with lumbar support (arm rests are also ideal)
3. Screen height in line with your eyes or slightly below
4. Feet rested on the floor or on a foot rest
As you can see, Billy one of our physiotherapists has added a text book under his screen to ensure it matches up with his eye-line.
3. You don’t keep up exercise routines
With gyms being closed, weekend sports being cancelled and travel restrictions being introduced, exercise habits have certainly been disrupted for most.
This then creates difficulty to adhere to regular exercise, and your motivation levels may be impacted. Ideally, to keep up your fitness you should try and perform similar activities from home or within your 10km residency radius.
Some examples of ways to do this may include:
1. Performing gym training exercises with shopping bags and/or resistance bands
2. Going to your local oval and kick around a football
3. Doing laps in your local area
4. You consume the same amount of food, but are exercising less
Controlling your weight is largely a math’s equation. If you eat more calories than your body needs, you put on weight and if you eat less calories than what your body needs, you lose weight.
Most of our clients are exercising less, so if this is you and you have the same dietary habits you may unfortunately be in for a surprise when you next stand on the scales.
To avoid unwanted weight gain, simply:
A) Increase the amount of exercise you are doing
B) Decrease the number of calories you eat
A great way of understanding weight control is by using a free App called ‘Myfitnesspal’. Simply enter the food you eat and the portion size and the app does the other work for you. Eat a consistent number of calories over a week and see what this does to your weight.
5. You don’t adequately prepare for return to sport
An important exercise fundamental to understand is detraining. This involves your body losing the adaptations you have made due to exercise, otherwise called ‘match fitness’. For example, if you run 10km every week at soccer but have a large hiatus from running, your body isn’t going to cope with the level of stress the same.
Significant reductions in fitness can start to be noticed within 2-4 weeks if you choose to stop all physical activities.
We suggest training at least 1-2 times a week with a similar intensity to maintain your fitness. The same goes for strength training.
If you would like a 2 week free home exercise routine please complete the contact form below, or if you need immediate attention, book online or give us a call to book your appointment today.