Today I urge you to take some movement breaks!
When I used to work full-time as a marketing pro, I would get up and take walks around the block on warm days (sometimes to the cupcake shop down the street, sometimes just for the walk and fresh air ;)).
These days, I find myself moving through quick yoga postures for my movement fix.
Fact is, we all sit a lot.
As a full-time yoga instructor, I sit a lot.
According to a Harvard Health Blog post last year, researchers in Canada analyzed 47 scientific studies on sedentary behavior (or sitting too much) and found:
“…people who sat for prolonged periods of time had a higher risk of dying from all causes — even those who exercised regularly. The negative effects were even more pronounced in people who did little or no exercise.”
Investing in a standing desk is one way to get up out of the office chair. Making time for regular movement breaks is another way.
I’m a fan (sometimes) of the Pomodoro productivity technique where you set a timer for 25 minutes, then take a 5 minute break, do another round of 25 minutes of work followed by a 5 minute break, and then do one last round of 25 minutes of work before celebrating with a 30 minute break. There’s all kinds of discussions online and research on similar productivity topics explaining why this technique works.
What to do in those 5-30 minute breaks scattered throughout your day? Get up! Move your appendages – that would be your arms and your legs. Do some neck and shoulder stretches. Dance. Wiggle your fingers and toes. Squat. Twist. Sidebend. Move your spine! Add in some breathing and you’re well on your way to a yoga practice.
So rather then get up just to go to the bathroom, refill your coffee cup/water bottle, and/or grab a snack, do something healthy for your body and move!
Here’s a quick 10 minute practice you can fit into that next 30-minute break. Or, if you know you won’t have time to get a workout in today, at least do this sequence.
