Even if you have a physical job, it's likely that you make the same movements every day, and that you're using the same parts of your body in the same ways, while other parts of you are not getting the movement they need.
Our bodies have been designed to move and they need movement to work their best, but life often gets in our way.
Exercise is great, but that's not what we're focussing on here. You can make tiny changes to the way you live your life which can make you feel less achy, more flexible and might even make you feel more clear headed. Hence the snail - he knows that he'll get there, even though he's making such small movements that you can barely see it!
All it takes is a couple of minutes, regularly, throughout your day, to do some slow, small movements. Variety is important; even if you do a lot of sport, or exercise, your body gets used to doing the same things, while other parts of your body get missed out.
Our shoulders and arms, for example, suffer from a lack of movement - we rarely stretch them because we have engineered our lives so that everything is within reach! So stretch them whenever you can - up, down, out - they'll thank you for it!
You can also find out how sitting less and moving more has helped Fiona improve her physical and mental health here.
Moving more can protect your long-term health and keep you stronger as you age. The NHS says 'there's strong evidence that people who are active have a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, depression and dementia'.
How do you know when you need to move more?
Our bodies are great at telling us what we need, as long as we understand what they're saying!
All of these might be clues that you need to move more:
- constipation
- stiff joints
- out of breath
- low mood
- anxious
- depressed
- sluggish and low energy
- difficulty sleeping
- being forgetful
- high blood pressure
- prediabetic
- back ache
- always feeling hungry
- catching every bug going
- dull skin
Click here for more details.
Top tips to get more movement into your life: habit stacking
Depending on what movement you're doing, you can try some habit stacking and fit one of these in...
- whenever you stand up or get out of bed
- while you're waiting for the kettle to boil
- while you're cleaning your teeth
- while you're watching TV
- while you're chatting on the phone
- while you're scrolling on social media
- while you're waiting for your pasta/rice/spuds to boil
You could also try to stack some related habits together one after the other - in the same way you might wash your face, clean your teeth and read in bed at night.
Take a look at Just One Thing for ideas on small habits that could have a positive impact on your health and wellbeing.
Please speak to your doctor or physiotherapist first if you have an injury or MSK condition.
Moving more with chronic pain or an MSK condition
If you're living with chronic pain, gentle movement can help to ease it. It can be tempting to keep still, or you might even feel scared to move more in case you make things worse. But the less we use our muscles, the weaker they become and this loss of muscle mass and strength can actually cause more pain.
When you feel like you're just one big ache, it doesn't always feel sensible or possible to try and move more but if you give some regular, gentle movement go for a week or two you might soon notice a difference. You might already know that living with an MSK condition leaves you four times more likely to have depression and guess what - movement can help with that too!
Talk to your physio or GP before you try anything new and if you're not sure where to start, pilates and yoga movements can be really helpful. Simple stretches can help too - just stretching your arms and legs, slowly nodding and shaking your head, shrugging and circling your shoulders backwards and forwards and circling your ankles and wrists. Take a look at the tips for fitting movement into your life and some more inspiration from the posters below.
Listen to your body and remember that every little helps.
We are UndefeatAble have suggestions for keeping moving with fifteen different long-term conditions; take a look at their Ways to Move page (with seated, supported and standing options) here. They also have a great library of free short videos here.
Click to download the image and to print the poster.
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This government poster explains the benefits of moving more and how much of what type of activity adults & older adults should aim for each week:
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For more inspiration, search on YouTube for millions of free videos, in whatever topic interests you: dancing, yoga, strength, et cetera.
On Your Feet Britain!
We all know that people who work at a desk sit much longer than they should and that's why this campaign runs every April.
But if you think about it, even in a physical job you probably still spend a lot of time sitting down - driving (sitting down), travelling on a bus, plane or a train (sitting down), eating (probably sitting down) and watching telly, gaming, reading or doing crafts or hobbies (usually sitting down) - and all of this can quickly add up to too much sitting, even if you're active in work.
Below are some posters you might like to print off, to inspire you with ideas to #MoveMore and #SitLess - they've been split into two sections, one for desk workers and one for everyone else - all full of great solutions.
Ideas for everyone
Ideas for desk workers
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