I’ve always had active jobs, since leaving college up until going on maternity leave (11 years), I worked as a support worker in various settings. Whether supporting someone with physical or non physical disabilities, the job role was physically challenging. Supporting people to get dressed, in and out of cars, pushing wheelchairs or walking miles a day with some people as that was their way of coping strategy for anxiety. I didn’t go on maternity up until 2 weeks before my due date so I continued to be active throughout, although with more caution. I also went to aqua-natal and pre-natal yoga. Once Lucas was born, I started enjoying walking around with the pram and doing Bababoogie to regain my fitness.
When it was time to go back to work, I decided to have a change of career. My new job is based in an office so instead of returning to an active role, I am sat on a chair behind a computer. This is quite worrying when a major Lancet study on more than one million adults found that sitting for at least eight hours a day could increase the risk of premature death by up to 60 per cent.
They urged anyone spending hours at their desk to change their daily routine to take a five minute break every hour, as well as exercise at lunchtimes and evenings. Lead scientist Professor Ulf Ekelund, from Cambridge University and the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences, said: “We found that at least one hour of physical activity per day, for example brisk walking or bike cycling, eliminates the association between sitting time and death.”
Furniture At Work* have created a campaign, #OfficeYoga, to encourage office workers to exercise throughout the day by showing how easy it can be to take part in office yoga. This is a win, win in my opinion as yoga is suitable for people of any fitness level and it relaxes you at the same time. Check out their inforgraphic below and try the moves out yourself x
