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| Something, Somewhere Went Terribly Wrong |
The Perils of Modern Living
Chances are you are reading this while sitting in some sort of chair. You, like most of the modern day population spend their day in a chair. Our jobs and careers require us to sit most of the day in front of computer screens and the daily demands of our life often keeps us from any kind of beneficial physical movement. But we are not designed to be in chairs. We are designed to move. To squat, bend, push, pull, lunge, twist, walk and run. Yet from the age of six on we are confined to this man-made prison.
When you spend much of your day sitting, whether it be in front of a computer, behind the wheel of a car, or in front of the television-bad things begin to happen to the body.
Pay Attention to Your Posture
With so much time spent in front of computers and TV’s, we develop poor posture. We have a tendency to slump forward, our shoulder blades sliding forward and up, our heads protruding in front of us. If you spend much of your day in front of a computer, you’re probably slumping over, even if you’re not aware of it.
Without perfect posture, you significantly increase the potential for pain and injury in a chain that starts with your neck and shoulders, descends to your lower back, and all the way to your knees and ankles.
Get Your ZZZZ’s
A productive day at work begins the night before by getting enough sleep. You parents had a bedtime for you when you were in school for a reason.... so you woke up rested and refreshed the next day, thus affording you the best opportunity to learn in school.. Well, the job at the office isn’t much different. So, the same principle of how to keep alert and healthy apply.
Most of us are walking around sleep-deprived. How much sleep do we need? Well, individual needs vary, but most would agree that we should be getting between 7 - 9 hours per night.
Caffeine Cut-Off
When you wake up tired, with all that awaits you, most people combat that fatigue by looking for energy elsewhere. It’s often looked for in sugar and caffeine, which supply the body with “quick” energy. Since caffeine has a half-life of about 6 hours, if you have a coffee at 3 p.m., you can still have as much as 150 milligrams of caffeine in your blood stream at 9 p.m. So steer clear of caffeine late in the day so you won’t disrupt your sleep cycles.
Begin Your Day with Breakfast..
Our diet plays a fundamental role in our mental, emotional and physical well being. As kids we are encouraged to eat breakfast to perform at our best. As adults we need breakfast to sustain us as well. When we skip breakfast, we can end up going for as long as eighteen hours without food, and this period of semi-starvation creates physical and intellectual energy lulls.
Starting your day off with a coffee and a pop-tart only sets you up for failure. Eating a full breakfast will provide you with both staying power and energy to help you maintain productivity throughout the day.
Give Yourself A Break
When we were in school we called it recess. A pause from doing something (as in work); a break. Nowadays people get to work and strap themselves into their work stations as if they’re about to go on a Space Shuttle journey. They never get up, they don’t go outside, they eat lunch at their desk while working. Your body needs to move! So take some self-time to get up, stretch and relax. It will help you to stay calm, focused and energized during the day.
Hydrate
To put it simply, to be healthy you need to be hydrated. Water = Life. Water not only serves to hydrate the body’s tissues and cleanse the body of unwanted chemicals, it is also an essential component of your body’s chemical reactions. Research has show that as little as 2% dehydration significantly impairs cognitive function. Water also makes up 85% of the intervertebral discs in your spine, so proper hydration is a preventive measure against low back pain and other chronic joint pathologies. To stay healthy it’s essential to drink half your body weight in ounces of quality, chlorine-free water daily. This will give your body energy and help to keep it functioning optimally.
-Brett Cohen
Fitness and Wellness Coach, Fitness Presenter and Educator
http://www.integratedtrainingsystems.com/
imakeufit@gmail.com
(917) 596-8485
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