Sitting at
a desk all day will make your bottom flat, flabby, and saggy.
That is a
fact, according to New York-based personal trainer Dan Giordano, of Bespoke
Treatments Physical Therapy.
No amount
of weekend workouts will offset five days of inactivity, he warns.
And after five years in an office job, he says it's likely the damage will
cause the muscle in your derriere to start wasting away.
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It all
comes down to two things: lack of blood flow and the way most of us naturally
sit.
Worse,
Giordano explains, the strength of your glutes (gluteus maximus - the muscles
in your butt) impacts your pelvic stability, pelvic rotation, and your core. It means
it's not just your butt that will be affected, but your entire workout and
physical strength.
The causes:
1. Sitting wrongly
'In most
office jobs you're not moving so you're getting stuck in a position - and
usually it's not a correct position,' Giordano explains. Ninety
percent of people sit in a way that means their pelvis rotates forward, putting
pressure on your spine. And
because you're sitting for hours at a time, you're not activating your glutes.
'That is
going to cause the muscle in your bottom to lose its tone and shape and not be
as firm. Think
about it: if you have a round shaped bottom or a muscly one, and you don't work
it out, it becomes flabby and its sags, so if
you're in this job for five years, you could atrophy the muscles.'
2. Blood flow slows down
When
you're sitting at your desk for a long period of time you're not moving your
blood flow,' Giordano says. We all
know this: if you're sitting for a long time, you become foggy. If you're
sleeping for a long period of time your muscles seize up.
'That's
because of the decreased blood flow. This could
affect your muscles because you're not getting blood flow. It means
certain muscles, like your glutes, are not activating. It's also going to take
you longer to warm up when you work out.'
The solution:
1. Walking around
'You need
to just get up and move. If it's only 30 seconds, that's fine, that's
something,' Giordano urges. 'It is so
important to keep your blood flow moving and keep your muscles as active as
possible.
'Get up
every half an hour or 15 minutes if possible. You could get up every hour but
every 30 minutes is so much better. 'Go to the
break room, walk around. 'You clear
your head, become less foggy, get your blood flow moving.'
2. Get a standing desk
'If there's
any access to a standing desk, get it,' Giordano insists.
In Scandinavia, ranked as the 'happiest' part of the world
by the United Nations 90 percent of office workers have access to standing
work stations. Studies
have shown the act of standing up increases our productivity and dramatically
lower the rates of obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
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3. Use a foam roller
Giordano
says we should all be using a foam roller every day.'Mobility
is the number one thing,' Giordano says, as he sings the praises of foam
rollers. A foam
roller is a large, cylinder foam block used to give yourself a massage and ease
tension in the muscles.
It is
common among athletes but
Giordano said it is just as essential for office workers. 'You should
be working out, but also taking recovery days for every three days you
work out, you need a recovery day. 'But the
one thing you need every day is a foam roller 30 seconds per body parts per
day.'
4. Vary your workouts.
If you're
not varying your workout, your body will get used to it, Giordano explains. Vary it:
take some classes, do a barre class, then a spin class... change it up.'That will
help you work different muscles throughout the week. 'Also I
don't think you'll be happy if you just do the same thing all the time.'