Physical fatigue and body aches are a common occurrence these days. Most of this can be attributed to lack of movement at work place. Sitting is regarded today as the new smoking. Long sitting beyond 6 hours increases the risk of death up to 40% when compared to those who sit for less than 3 hours. One hour of cycling or walking a day can greatly reduce the harmful effects of long sitting.
Some of the most common aches during work are
" Wrist/ Hand pain - repetitive strain injury is very common at work especially those who use the computers long hours
" Low back ache - depending on the nature of work, there can be huge demand for a stronger back. When they are not strong, one can go into persistent pain on the lower back.
" Knee aches - Knees and hip are prone to inflammatory pains due to long hours of sitting. Also it weakens the gluteal muscles. Hips and knees are also more susceptible for injury due to the weight gain among sedentary working class.
" Eye pain/ inflammation - those who look at the screens for extended hours can suffer from dryness of the eyes due to blockage of oil secreting glands.
" Stomach pain - most of the sedentary jobs causes weak digestion due to minimal physical activity. This in turn results in to indigestion, hyperacidity, bloating and constipation.
" Headache - neck stiffness is one of the main cause of most of the work related headaches. Besides this head ache can also be induced by poor stress management.
Preventive exercises to manage body aches
1. Loosening exercises - one of the most important practice to prevent body ache is to practice loosening exercises for joints. This can start from the toes and progressively move upwards by practicing all possible movements on each joints; flexion, extension, circumflexion etic wherever possible.
2. Neck isometrics - in isometric exercise, force is applied against a resistant object by which tension built up in the muscles without movement. It is best done to prevent head and neck pain that arise due to stiffness of muscles around the neck.
3. Cat cow stretch - this incorporation of cat pose and cow pose synchronized with breathing helps in caring the entire back and also it gives the body a good destressing stretch
4. Tree pose with toe stand - it is huge hip and knee opening practice when performed jointly. It helps to strengthen the abdomen and glutes and also creates strength to maintain good posture.
5. Reclined spinal twist - there are different variations to the spinal twist and they are a great way to squeeze out the day to day stresses and body aches. It stretches the spine, chest, shoulders and massages the vital organs too
6. Progressive muscle relaxation - it is a method of inducing deep muscle relaxation by tensing up the muscles and simultaneously relaxing them. It is a great tool in inducing a deep relaxation to the entire body. This method also helps in managing work related muscle tension that might be causing routine aches and pains