“Fitness Tips for Desk Jockeys” Pod Cast by Gray Cook (7:04)

Another great pod cast by Gray Cook discussing a few tips that we can incorporate into our daily routine to counter long hours behind a desk.

The first thing that Gray addresses is office ergonomics. Ergonomics involves “understanding the interactions among humans and other elements of a system… in order to optimise human well-being and overall system performance.”

Below are some basic tips to instantly improve your ergonomic setup:

• Keyboard on a tilt

• Screen height nice and high (forces us to sit up straight)

• Sit with your knees lower than your hips (60 degree angle)

• Sit on saddle chairs or stability balls

Gray then goes on to elaborate on other aspects and changes that we can incorporate into our daily life to improve the way we move. I have listed below the key points that he mentions and touches on:

Hydrate in the morning upon waking

Routinely perform the ‘Sun salutation’ on waking and throughout the day. For those of you who don’t know, it is a sequence of yoga poses that is designed to make you feel strong, powerful, glowing and confident. From a physiotherapy perspective these poses provides vital full body stretches.

Achieve movement competency and aim for right and left symmetry. He suggests movements such as the Turkish get up, single arm push up and pistol squat to assess competency and symmetry. In my opinion these are quite high level movements and are unsuitable for everyone. Consult with a physiotherapist from Infinite Health to find out exercises suitable for your level of fitness.

Finally, rather than trying to fit everything into an intense 45 minute session, try and perform your exercises and stretches more regularly during the day. This ensures that you are able to focus on quality of movement rather than repetition.

For more personalised stretching advice, book an appointment with one of physiotherapists at Infinite Health Chatswood.