How We Move (or don't) in the Modern World

I've worked in an office for almost four years now, an environment that demands hours of sedentary activity, and compared to my previous jobs as a waitress, a nanny, and a graduate student, sitting all day has been a struggle.  Don't get me wrong, I'm totally lazy just like you, but what I hate hate hate more than anything is a day at the office where there's not much going on; no meetings, no deadlines, no training--and I sit, motionless for hours. It starts to feel like I'm just doing screen time until five o'clock when I'll switch to the car for the hour commute home (where I may sit watching television or writing for another few hours).  Luckily I find motivation in all this sitting, and get myself moving to the garage gym or my bike as soon as the whistle blows.  It's the only way I stay sane.

A few years ago I remember complaining to my boyfriend that 30 to 60 minutes of repetitive cardio and weight machines didn't seem to balance out the 10 or more hours of sitting I did everyday.  Those hours were spent working, then commuting, then watching TV or on the internet.  Even though I was technically active, my daily routine still felt unbalanced.

I recently discovered an article via Mark's Daily Apple, an excellent blog on primal living, about this extreme imbalance. In it, research shows that we need to move more than just the prescribed 30 minutes per day in order to fight heart disease.

Phys Ed: The Men Who Stare at Screens By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

...the men who sat the most had the greatest risk of heart problems. Men who spent more than 23 hours a week watching TV and sitting in their cars (as passengers or as drivers) had a 64 percent greater chance of dying from heart disease than those who sat for 11 hours a week or less. What was unexpected was that many of the men who sat long hours and developed heart problems also exercised...Their workouts did not counteract the ill effects of sitting.

Yikes! Not what the 30-minutes-on-the-elliptical-machine lovers want to hear!  Turns out we have to do a whole lot better to keep heart disease at bay.

As Mark often writes on his blog, we humans were designed to move, a lot, not sit on our butts all day and then run on a machine for 30 minutes at the same pace.  It makes sense, right? Mark has an excellent entry of his own about how to cope in a cubicle.   Reading this article was another break through for me, the girl who has learned how to do triangle pose in a bathroom stall, or can be seen doing push ups behind her desk in the afternoon.  Like I said, it's been a struggle, but this article proves that I've been on the right track, that extra movement is beneficial. 

So now I'm a bean counter of movement.  I pay more attention to my daily movements and try to make the most of them.  I used to make fun of hefty folks who parked far away from the front of the store in order to burn extra calories, but I now find myself doing the same thing.  Not to stay skinny, but to stay alive!  When it comes to chores, I have a new added appreciation for tidying the house. Also, it turns out that physical work often equals money saved. If we're moving, we're usually not consuming. If we do the work ourselves instead of paying another man or machine, we're saving dough! Yay!

Ways to Move...and Save

Here are a few things I've been doing to move more.  If you happen to be a person who makes a living doing manual labor, you're probably already laughing at this entry and scoffing at my complaints and research.  It probably goes without saying that this information will only appeal to fellow office dwellers. 

Start the day with a yoga video, or Thai Chi video, or any other video you enjoy. Sometimes I do 20 minutes, sometimes 40 minutes. It's free and convenient and feels great.

Walk during lunch: I've been doing this methodically for years simply because it's a nice way to spend the lunch hour.  It's free, and keeps me from making B.S. trips to Target where I can easily blow 50 bucks when all I needed was a birthday card.

Clean the car: I recently opted for the $3 basic car wash and decided to detail the inside myself.  This involved carrying out the vacuum, crouching, bending, and other unattractive ways of moving, but movement nonetheless. 

Squats: whenever and wherever. A set of 20 is enough to get my heart rate up and some oxygen back to the brain.  I do them all day long at the office, usually behind a closed door. (I'm sure my co-workers would thank me).

And oh yeah, CrossFit workouts! Many days of the week I'm quite sore from doing the WOD, and these light extra activities actually help alleviate the soreness.

The other great benefit is the time away from THE SCREEN. Interacting with people, animals, plants, listening to music, creating something--the brain is better off with some time spent with Real things. I'm sure there's a study somewhere that supports this.

And finally, so I don't feel like a total fraud, I must admit that I'm passionate about my couch.  Like, passionate.  When you've made your house home, it is a glorious place.  Beer, a husband, and a few sweet kitties make it all the more magical.  But only after one has earned it.