While it’s important for all of us to take the time to exercise and move our bodies, this becomes even more important for those of us who work at a desk job or really at any job that requires you to be sitting for a long duration.
Sitting gets a bad reputation for being terrible for the body, but sitting itself isn’t really the problem. The problem is being in one position for an extended period of time, and sitting for most of the day is much more common in our modern world.
Some examples of changes in the body that can happen from sitting for most of your day for a long period of time are tight hamstrings and/or tight hip flexors. And when one muscle group becomes tight, it’s not uncommon that the opposing muscle group becomes weak. So tight hip flexors are often paired with weak gluteal muscles. It’s not guaranteed that working a desk job will cause these things to occur, but it is important to recognize that the body needs movement.
This is why it’s important to take breaks throughout your workday and walk around. Things like standing desks can also be helpful but even with these, it is still beneficial to take breaks and walk because standing is still keeping your body in one position. Standing desks change up the position of sitting which is good but it's still helpful to take breaks and move.
So while exercise is recommended for all of us, it's even more important for those of us that sit most of the day. Giving yourself 30-60 minutes of moving your body in different ways is so helpful to keep your muscles and joints healthy, so don’t skip your workouts!
