Being sedentary is bad for you and will likely shorten your lifespan. I guess we all know this but the remedies proposed here are not that great. A doctor told me this a few years ago when I described my typical workday. She said all the benefits from my diet and fitness habits were being washed out by how long I sat in place. Her recommendation was to spread out the exercise throughout the day - not have a dedicated hour for it at the end of day but try to intersperse it throughout. This used to be a breeze when I worked from home unless meeting clients. That has changed a bit. It is no longer feasible to take a brisk walk, work in the yard, do a ten minute yoga routine when there was an opening between meetings.
I am sure it helped my physical health as the doctor said but the mental health benefits were remarkable as well. Those short breaks helped me feel better about the day no matter how it went. A good day felt great and a bad one not as much. It also left me with the sense of having more time for myself, ability to catch a breath often instead of running the whole time. My former co-worker S had a butterfly garden (she probably still does) and she took her lunch there if she was at home. According to S, it gave her life and work meaning that she was able to do this. She thought about how her paycheck had helped her plant this garden now home to so many beautiful butterflies. To her that was serving good cause. S came up with some of her best ideas over lunch in her favorite place. We need our equivalent of S's butterfly garden for our overall wellbeing in life.
Comments