Sitting and Productivity
That 4pm slump. You know it well, don’t you? You’re itching to get out of the office, your mind is in a blur and that nagging twinge in your low back is screaming at you.
In addition to having a hard time thinking about anything other than where you’re going to get your next sugar and caffeine fix, you’re completely preoccupied with the discomfort in your body and the last thing you can do is be productive and get caught up on that last bit of email or finish the presentation your boss needed yesterday.
What to do?
Stand up!
Yes, of course, the eating (or not) and 4pm blood sugar crash is something all too many of us are familiar with; we need to eat regularly and make our meals and snacks balanced and Paleo friendly so as to avoid this horrible afternoon occurrence in the first place. Another blog topic, which I’ve written about before.
Let’s get back to this post’s theme!
Get out of your chair and stand up.
- At the office, ask for a standing desk, and make sure it’s at the right height so you don’t end up with a tweaky neck or carpal tunnel syndrome. Find out if your company can have an ergonomic specialist come in and check out all the angles to double check your set up.
- At home don’t use a desk. Choose a place that is conducive to being productive and make it a priority to procure the proper desk or table to accommodate.
- If you have to sit, at least make sure it’s a good chair or ball and that you’re not slouching and get up as much as you can to wiggle around.
- Incorporate core strengthening and flexibility training into your regime. You know by now that if your core is strong, you’re far less likely to have back issues.
- Make regular body work a top priority. There is no reason to be in pain and just put it down to ‘I’m getting old’ or “I have a bad back”. Why settle?
On a very basic level, if you’re standing and not uncomfortable, you are going to be more alert and thus more productive than if you’re slouched over trying not to fall asleep.
Now, get moving!
