Graham’s WFH Tip #7 – Make Time to Stand Up and Get Moving

It’s quite clear that our sedentary lifestyle is killing us. Who better than the wonderful NHS to tell us.

Having worked in an office for many years, and now also worked from home for a long while, I find that there is something different about the home office that means that there’s less movement. I’m speaking here as someone who sufferers with poor posture and many an aching neck and back. Sitting for long periods of time is not good for me, I can feel it.

Despite all the pain, movement doesn’t come naturally, I need to take conscious steps to make it happen. I need prompts to get up from my rear and to let the blood flow.

These are the steps that I take, and I leave them here as a few pointers of things you might like to take on. They certainly aren’t a definition of best practice:

• I use an app on my work mobile – Stand Up! – which is set to remind me every 30 minutes to stand up. That simple ping is often all I need to get going. There’s also a tracking element to it, but I find that I’m not overly motivated by trackers.
• I have a sit-stand desk – it’s not an automatic one, so I do need to press a button. If you can afford one with an automated timer, then go for it.
• Bluetooth headphones enable me to walk around while I’m on calls – most of the time I’m at home alone, so the annoyance level for others is minimal.
• Regular evening stretches get everything going again – I use a yoga app for this. It doesn’t take long to make a difference for me, 20 minutes is often all I need. I find being consistent at this difficult.
• The coffee making facilities are downstairs – those few steps make a difference. I work on the first floor (that’s upstairs to those of you who don’t come from the UK) and stairs are a wonderful way of giving your heart rate a micro boost.
• Occasionally I will do a walking meeting – unfortunately, the mobile signal isn’t great near my house which limits where I can walk. Also, many of the calls I’m attending are discussing a diagram or a document which isn’t great on a mobile.
• Desk stretches – I know where my physical weaknesses are, and I know how to stop those weaknesses becoming painful. There’s a neck twist and a back stretch that make all the difference. I just need to remember to do them.

The reality is, I tend to be physically lazy, and there are times where all this movement isn’t enough, mainly because I’m scrimping on each one of them here and there. The overall result is that I get steadily stiffer. On those occasions I have found that a couple of sessions with a physio are invaluable. They act as a reset on the process. I used to put this off, thinking that I could work my way through it, I try not to do that anymore. Early intervention makes the recovery so much better. The desk stretches that I do are the ones that have been recommended to me by my physio.

It’s time for all of us to get moving.

New to Graham’s WFH Tips? Here’s a handy list to help you catch up.

• Graham’s WFH Tips – Some Advice for a Changed World
• Graham’s WFH Tip #1 – Routine is your friend
• Graham’s WFH Tip #2 – Wear Work Clothes
• Graham’s WFH Tip #3 – Put your Superpowers to work (but don’t overuse them)
• Graham’s WFH Tip #4 – Thinking Music
• Graham’s WFH Tip #5 – Enjoy You Spaces
• Graham’s WFH Tip #6 – Plan your first day back before you leave
• Graham’s WFH Tip #7 – Make Time to Stand Up and Get Moving (this one)
• Graham’s WFH Tip #8 – Lighten Up – you need more than you think you do…
• Graham’s WFH Tip #9 – Find your Social – It doesn’t have to be about work all of the time
• Graham’s WFH Tip #10 – Lift Your Focus and Feed the Birds

Header Image: This is the view from the top of Malham Cove, a fascinating geological wonder in the Yorkshire Dales. Below is the view from the bottom.