by Kerry Taylor
Hey you, yes you, who is, more than likely, sitting down reading this. Before you go any further, do me a favor, stand up and stretch that body out for a moment or go for a walk to the bathroom and then come back.
Okay, welcome back and thank you for doing that, and your body thanks you for doing that. This blog was inspired by my mom and a former client of mine that I bumped into who said, “I need your help. I sit waaaay too much now.” How many of you are in the same situation? A ton of you sit way too much in your daily lives. I’m fortunate, I’m on my feet and moving around all day long. I want to talk to you about movement as the cure for so much in our lives. The simple task of standing has disappeared with the increasing popularity of trying to make our lives simpler with smartphones and increased technology. We have made ourselves lazier and with that, overtime, we have seen obesity shoot through the roof, high blood pressure continues to be an increasing problem, and I truly believe unseen and unspoken depression is at an all time high. There are no signs of this changing anytime soon, unfortunately. Why? As I mentioned earlier, we sit way too damn much and it is literally killing us, be it a slow death, but death all the same.
Here is where you probably would expect me to start spitting out exercise regimens, workout 2-3 days a week for 30 minutes, etc. I’m going to take an even simpler approach, how about you just try to stand more. If you don’t, here are just a few things you can look forward to affecting your life from the “Sitting Disease."
- An increase in weight
- Horrible posture
- Back and shoulder problems
- Increased risk of a heart attack
- Shorter life expectancy
My mom has started to take her stance against the "Sitting Disease" and, as her son, I couldn’t be prouder. My brother and I receive a daily text from her showing us how many steps she took each day and what her next goal may be. Gotta love it!!
Here are some basic, basic ideas to get you back on your feet, so to speak.
- Stand or go for a stroll when talking on the phone
- Go for a walk after you eat
- Park further away from where you’re going
- One of my favorites, have fun, dance when you can!
- Set an alarm on your phone to remind you to stand up and stretch for a moment
- Get water or fill up your water container every 1-2 hours
Simple enough, can you do just one of these daily?
For all those that exercise regularly, you’re not excluded from this. By all means, please continue to exercise, but remember to stand more often, it can only help you. Encourage the ones around you to do the same. Big changes come with the smallest of commitments to oneself. Go for it!! Until next time, continue to live a life one degree above the rest!