Is Your Job Killing You?

Most of us spend a good portion of our day seated at a desk. When you consider that, the above infographic is pretty alarming. But what do we do? Quit our jobs?

Well, many of you have heard me say that I think it's better to make your body fit your life, and not the other way around.

As I'm writing this, I'm waiting on a skydiving instructor who would almost certainly stop feeling pain in his arms if he quit teaching humans how to fly. I've had many musicians say that their doctor told them to stop playing music so that their tendonitis would disappear. But if we can't play music and jump out of planes (or make a decent paycheck at a company that offers great benefits) then what's left?

Any recurring task is going to cause tension in your body. But that's what we do! We learn a trade. We study it. We do it over an over. We get really good at it. We work hard. It's a career!

So how can we make sure that the thing that fulfills us isn't also killing us? Well, there are some great tips for combatting the effects of sitting in this infographic. I've also posted some great office stretches on our Facebook page. Massage can also help to offset the toll your job takes on your body.

One of the main muscles affected by sitting is the psoas. Using active release, we can help to keep the psoas lengthened even if it's staying contracted at your day job. By using trigger point therapy in the glutes and QLs, we can ensure that the attachment sites are allowing those muscles to move freely and that they're not being held sedentary by fascia. (You can learn more about fascia in our previous blog post.) We can also do the same for the upper back and neck movement muscles which are usually affected when we're leaning forward over a computer.

So get to work! Just remember to get up, stretch your legs (and neck, arms, back, shoulders and hips) and get a massage regularly to keep you tuned up!