Tag Archives: standing desks

Caution: Your Job Could Be Harmful to Your Butt

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dormant butt syndrome

By now you’ve heard of sitting disease, the ill-effects of an overly sedentary lifestyle. Now, there’s another condition affecting office workers and other sedentary people – Dormant Butt Syndrome. Yes, it is a real condition! No, we’re not making it up.

Despite the funny name, Dormant Butt Syndrome is a serious condition that could be the cause of your back pain, knee pain, or hip pain.

What is Dormant Butt Syndrome

Dormant Butt Syndrome (DBS) is a condition caused by sitting for extended periods of time. Most Americans have a job that includes sitting most of the day in an office chair. Add to that the time spent driving to and from work and even more time sitting to watch TV, play games, lounge, or read, and that’s almost a whole day of sitting on your butt. In total, the average American sits about 13 hours a day. It’s no wonder our butts now have their own condition.

Dr. Chris Kolba of Ohio State coined the phrase Dormant Butt Syndrome (also known as Dead Butt Syndrome). It’s the physical deterioration of the gluteal muscle due to sitting for prolonged periods of time. Remember the saying, “If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it?” Well, that’s what’s happening to our gluteal muscles. They’re deteriorating due to lack of use. And although that doesn’t sound like much of an issue, it can lead to some serious pain!

Fort Wayne Chiropractor, Dr. Richard Busch says, “Our clinic treats people every day who suffer from pain for one reason or another. An increasing number of our patients have sedentary lifestyles which are causing them a great amount of joint pain. Sitting for extended periods of time can cause the muscles in the butt to break down. If your gluteal muscles are weak, it can put additional strain on other joints resulting in knee pain, back pain, or hip pain.”

“In addition to joint pain, prolonged inactivity can also lead to a number of other chronic health conditions including diabetes and heart disease,” adds Dr. Davis, Chiropractor in The Villages® community.

How to Prevent Dormant Butt Syndrome

Most of us can’t just quit our jobs in lieu of a more active position. So what can you do to prevent DBS and other chronic health conditions while working? Simple, get off your butt!

  1. Get active. Take short breaks every hour to walk around and do a few exercises to strengthen your glutes such as lunges or squats. (You’ll not only help prevent Dormant Butt Syndrome, but your butt will look great in your favorite jeans!)
  2. Get up. Stand while talking on the phone or to your co-workers.
  3. Sit-to-Stand. Adjustable sit-to-stand desks are a great way to combat inactivity by letting you easily go from a seated position to a standing working position. There are even new seats that work great with standing-height desks to help take pressure off your joints.
  4. Get out. Instead of eating at your desk, go for a walk at lunch. The fresh air and exercise will do you some good too!

There you have it… 4 easy ways to help your butt, back, knees, and hips and to combat Dormant Butt Syndrome. Are you standing yet?

Do You Suffer From Sitting Disease

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sitting disease and your health

Is Your Desk Job Bad For Your Health?

If you are like most Americans, you are likely suffering from a disease you maybe didn’t even know existed. What experts now call “sitting disease”. This disease afflicts many people who work in traditional work environments where many hours are spent seated at a desk or in front of a computer.

How many hours do you spend each day sitting at work? Add on the hours you spend driving, eating meals, using technology, or watching TV. The Mayo Clinic says that 50-70% of Americans spend 6 or more hours every day just sitting down!

Sitting Disease and Your Health

“ A highly sedentary lifestyle can wreak havoc on your system and has serious negative effects on our health,” states Dr. Busch of Busch Chiropractic in Fort Wayne. Sitting for extended periods puts extra stress on your spine and increases your risk for back injuries. In order to stay healthy, our joints, muscles, and other tissues need to move. Over time, reduced activity can not only limit your range of motion and cause back problems but contributes to many health issues and significantly shorten your lifespan.”

These health risks include:

  • increased risk of chronic back and neck pain
  • a proclivity for herniated discs
  • shorter life expectancy
  • increased risk for Type 2 diabetes
  • increased risk for heart disease and some cancers

Reduce the Risks of Sitting Disease

How can you ward off the dangerous risks of sitting disease? Fortunately, even a moderate increase in physical activity is proven to effectively fight these health risks.

Moving more:

  • burns more calories
  • reduces body fat
  • improves circulation
  • strengthens muscles
  • increases insulin sensitivity
  • improves mood
  • reduces load on spine

How to Increase Activity at Work

Here are some tips from Dr. Busch to use at the office (or home, as well) to keep sitting disease and its health risks at bay:

  • walk while you are talking on the phone
  • set a timer to remind yourself to get up at least once an hour
  • use a pedometer or Fitbit to track (and increase) your daily number of steps
  • take the stairs, instead of the elevator, up one floor or down two
  • every time you cross something off your to-do list, stand up for a stretching break
  • don’t sit for one-on-one meetings — have a walking meeting around the block or around the building
  • park further away from your office building, the restaurants you go to for lunch, the grocery store, etc.

Sit-to-Stand Desks:

You may also consider a standing-height desk or a “sit-to-stand” adjustable desk. Researchers say that the almost undetectable muscle movement that occurs while standing is as good as, or better, for our bodies than bouts of exercise between long periods of being sedentary. Studies show that people who stand while working move around more and get the important health benefits needed to combat sitting disease.

The positive effects of becoming more active can be profound. According to a Stanford University study, workers who used sit-to-stand desks were 78% more likely to report a pain-free day.

Visit the Workspace Solutions office furniture campus in Fort Wayne to talk to our furniture experts to learn more about healthier ways to work and avoid the dreaded sitting disease!

How to Get More Exercise at Work

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ways to get exercise at work

How to get more exercise at work and keep your New Year’s resolution.

2015 is here, and for many of us that means a chance to start over. This time of year, New Year Resolution’s are on many people’s minds. It’s time to give up some bad habits and pick up some great new habits. For many, a popular resolution is to get rid of a few extra pounds, eat better, and do a bit more exercising.

Working in an office environment can often make it easy to pick up some bad habits when it comes to your health and fitness. Keep your New Year’s resolution with these tips on how to incorporate some healthy habits into your work day.

1. Start with your Commute

Your morning commute to work can be a great way to add some extra workout into your day. If you live close enough, ride your bike! If you take the bus, get off a few blocks earlier, and walk the rest of the way.

If you drive, parking your car on the far end of the lot can be a great way to squeeze in some extra steps throughout the day.

2. Take the Stairs

Avoid uncomfortable elevator small talk, while getting some cardio! What’s not to love? Simply switching to the stairs can be a great way to add some exercise to your day. After you’ve mastered the stairs, try taking them two at a time!

Rather than taking short coffee breaks throughout the day, take some short breaks to get in some extra exercise. Climb up and down the stairs a couple of times, just for fun.

3. Bring healthy snacks to work

One disadvantage of working in a fast-paced office environment is that sometimes you’re not left with much time for lunch. It can be tempting to go with fast food – it’s quick, it’s cheap, it’s tasty. Rather than eating a fatty, calorie loaded lunch, bring a few small healthy snacks to eat throughout the day, along with your smaller, healthy lunch.

Digesting foods more frequently will help to speed up your metabolism. Rather than simply packing your lunch in the morning, pack enough food for the entire day. Bring an apple for a mid-morning snack, and some carrots for an afternoon snack.

4. Squeeze in some workout time

During any down time you might have, use this as a chance to squeeze in some quick workouts. Waiting for the copier to print off your 50 page report? Don’t just stand around waiting for it – use this time to do some squats. Stand with your legs shoulder width apart, and slowly lower your body, bending your legs so your knees make a 90 degree angle and your thighs are parallel to the ground.

You can even squeeze in some workouts while seated in your office chair! Next time you sort through your flood of morning emails, try slowly lifting your legs to an extended position. Hold that position for a few seconds, and then slowly bring your legs back down without letting them touch the ground. Repeat. This is a great, simple ab workout that can be done sitting down at your desk, while actually working!

5. Consider a standing desk

Of all of the things you do at work, sitting is by far the unhealthiest. Research has shown that typically, no amount of working out can undo the negative effects that sitting all day has on your body. Proponents of standing desks have a saying – “Sitting is the new smoking.”

“In order to combat the negative effects of sitting in a chair all day, a popular trend in office furniture is standing desks – desks built taller to force you to lose the chair!” says Brent Stoller of Workspace Solutions Office Furniture Store in Fort Wayne, IN. “Standing at work encourages frequent muscle movement and activity.”

adjustable standing desk

adjustable standing desk by  available at Workspace Solutions in Fort Wayne, Warsaw, South Bend, and Indianapolis

If you don’t want to commit to standing eight hours per day at work, Brent Stoller suggests Quickstand by Humanscale. The Quickstand clamps right to your existing desk and is easily adjustable allowing you the option of sitting or standing while at work.

For more information on whether or not a standing desk is for you, check out Standing vs Sitting Desks.