Too much sitting, not enough breaks and exercise – this is the cause of a number of illnesses. The threshold is not that high – even small changes in everyday life help.
Berlin/Gundelfingen – Every minute you move is good for your health. This is what the DKV Report 2023 of the German Sport University Cologne and the German Health Insurance (DKV) says. If a person who sits a lot replaces one hour of sitting by walking, they reduce their risk of dying earlier by 20 percent.
There are many ways to incorporate exercise and breaks into everyday life.
1. It starts with changing the sitting position at the desk from time to time. “Change is the essential thing,” says Thomas Schneider, orthopedic surgeon at the Gundelfingen joint clinic. “You should also stand and walk around from time to time and not sit all the time.”
So why not get up in the office and walk over to your colleagues instead of calling or emailing? Or walk around while talking on the phone and use the lunch break for a walk and use the stairs instead of the elevator?
Fit with strong muscles
2. Exercise not only solves rigid sitting positions, but also strengthens muscles. According to the report, regular training can reduce the risk of many chronic lifestyle diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases or cancer.
It can be easy to walk around in the fresh air after work instead of sitting on the sofa. As a sport for those who sit a lot, Schneider recommends swimming or targeted training of the upper back muscles.
Here’s an exercise: Fasten a stretchy band in front of you a little above your head. Grab both ends with your hands and pull them towards your chest with your forearms parallel, bringing your shoulder blades together.
Take on the stress by breathing calmly
3. Stress is also a health killer, here the following applies: even short breaks can help. Good breathing is important: the report recommends that those who remember to breathe more calmly, more slowly and more deeply in stressful situations will relieve stress symptoms and relax.
“Calm breathing helps the psyche and upper neck muscles,” confirms Schneider and recommends this exercise, which combines calm breathing and relaxation and can be easily integrated into everyday life: For the so-called cat’s hump, get on all fours. The head hangs loosely down, the back is made as round as possible. Inhale into the hump as you straighten your back, exhale into the hollow back as you relax. Repeat the whole thing several times. dpa