Fiorella Rafael remembers feeling stiff at the end of every day in her old office job. \u201cThat lack of movement would creep up and compound over the week,\u201d she says. Though standing and walking meetings were encouraged, with deadlines to meet it wasn\u2019t always tenable. \u201cIt\u2019s partly what drove me to become a pilates instructor,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Now Rafael teaches pilates at Sydney\u2019s Scout Studios, where she meets people like me who spend far too much time sitting. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics<\/a>, 46.9% of Australian adults described their jobs as mostly sitting down, which might explain why only 22.4% of Australian adults met the physical activity guidelines in 2022.<\/a> In England, one in four do less than 30 minutes of exercise a week<\/a>, and in the US only about half of the adult population<\/a> is meeting the guidelines<\/a> of at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise a week. Worldwide, that\u2019s nearly 1.8 billion<\/a> people, says the World Health Organization.<\/p>\n I\u2019m one of those mostly inactive people, especially since having a child and returning to full-time work. It\u2019s not as easy to find the time for classes, or an active commute, and I am generally better at constructing an email while sitting.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not really designed to sit the whole time like we do in modern life,\u201d says University of Sydney school of public health<\/a> professor Cathie Sherrington. Too much time spent sitting has been linked to heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers<\/a>. \u201cSo anything that breaks up that sedentary behaviour helps.\u201d<\/p>\n Helping inactive people get fitter is what Yago Aldir does every day as a personal trainer and co-owner at the Melbourne gym Project Better. He suggests stacking habits to help bring more incidental exercise into everyday life. \u201cYou might not have 30 minutes but you might have 10 x three minutes throughout your day,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n So how should we spend those three minutes?<\/p>\n 1. Calf raises<\/p>\n Calf raises \u201cdon\u2019t look too silly\u201d in public, says Rafael, who likes to do a set while waiting for the kettle to boil. Stand with your weight equally distributed across both legs, lift and lower the heels. \u201cInstead of cranking up on to the balls of your feet, try to peel the length of your foot off, hold that, feel the wobble, then delicately drape the feet back down. We don\u2019t want the ankles to sickle, and don\u2019t rely on momentum to come up and down.\u201d<\/p>\n Always up for a challenge, I do a stealth set of calf raises while I\u2019m waiting for a takeaway coffee. My calves feel as though they\u2019re burning after 10. I get a few curious glances but it\u2019s a success. A positive layer on my habit stack.<\/p>\n Sherrington, who specialises in falls prevention and healthy ageing, tells me she does calf raises while waiting for the shower\u2019s hot water to come in. \u201cI can get 30 done in that time.\u201d<\/p>\n 2. Wall sitsThe coffee is hot, my legs are burning but my form is on fire \u2013 until it\u2019s not, about 40 seconds later. Photograph: Jessica Hromas\/The Guardian<\/p>\n \u201cWall sits are great for hip health,\u201d Rafael says. Find a sturdy wall that\u2019s free of hooks, brackets or other snags, then with your back against the wall, sit with your legs at a 90-degree angle, as though you\u2019re in an imaginary chair. \u201cEngage your core, hamstrings and quadriceps and hold for 30 seconds, or as long as you can,\u201d she says. \u201cBe mindful of any previous injuries that might affect how much load you can hold, and if you want to challenge yourself, try to float your hands off your knees.\u201d<\/p>\n Surely I could hold a three-minute wall sit during my phone call, I think. How hard could it be? Less than a minute in, my legs are shaking. \u201cWhen you\u2019re up against the wall, there\u2019s no faking it,\u201d says Rafael, sounding disappointed with my effort. I try again a week later: 40 seconds. My heart is racing, but this feels good \u2013 like progress.<\/p>\n 3. Balance on one legOff to a wobbly start: my single leg balances are embarrassingly short-lived. Photograph: Jessica Hromas\/The Guardian<\/p>\n \u201cBalance is important from a longevity point of view,\u201d Aldir says. \u201cWhile the kettle is boiling, you could stand on one leg, with your eyes closed, and see how good your balance is on one side. Then repeat on the other side and compare. Aim for longer each time.\u201d<\/p>\n At 4pm in the office, I get up to go to the kitchen (for a biscuit). While I\u2019m there, I close my eyes and test my balance. My knee-length skirt limits my range, but I hold steady on my left leg for four seconds then for six on my right. With my eyes open, it\u2019s far easier and I can count to at least 10. Back at my desk, I look up Michael Mosley<\/a>\u2019s old quote: \u201cIf you can reach 10 seconds with your eyes closed, you\u2019re doing well.\u201d One to work towards.<\/p>\n 4. Take the stairs \u2013 and add step-up and step-downs<\/p>\n Simply taking the stairs \u201cwould be considered vigorous intensity activity\u201d, says Associate Prof Sjaan Gomersall, an expert in physical activity, sedentary behaviour and health at the University of Queensland. That makes stairs an \u201cawesome\u201d opportunity to build in incremental exercise.<\/p>\n Even my barrel-leg jeans aren\u2019t roomy enough for three-stair step-ups. Photograph: Jessica Hromas\/The Guardian<\/p>\n On your way up, Rafael suggests building in a glute exercise, by taking two or three steps with one leg, then engaging the core and glutes to bring the other leg to the top step, pausing and bringing the other leg down again, and repeating. \u201cKeep the core engaged to take one leg back down at a time,\u201d she says. \u201cDo this without leaning too far forward or tilting to the side, and keep hips and shoulders square.\u201d<\/p>\n I make it my mission to use the office fire escape for active breaks from my desk. It\u2019s dusty, windowless, but pedestrian-free. I opt for three steps at a time, careful not to go too quickly and hold myself upright. It\u2019s boring and feels slow; I\u2019d much rather get to the top as fast as I can. As far as habit stacking goes, I\u2019ll leave this off the pile.<\/p>\n 5. Elevated incline push-ups<\/p>\n You don\u2019t need to put your hands on the floor to do a push-up, especially in public in your normal clothes, says Aldir: \u201cYou can do it against a bench or a wall.\u201d Elevated incline push-ups are slightly easier, and though you might not break into a sweat, you still move your chest, shoulders and arms.<\/p>\n Arms should be at shoulder-width, with elbows slightly back and closer to the ribs than 90 degrees. \u201cThe important part is to keep your core engaged almost like you\u2019re doing a plank,\u201d he says. Aim for five to 10 push-ups. \u201cLevel one could be against the wall, level two could be against the bench,\u201d he says. And while he acknowledges it may look awkward, \u201clevel three could be on the ground\u201d.<\/p>\n Finding an empty meeting room, I try five level-one push-ups. It feels too easy but also a little uncomfortable in my blouse \u2013 I don\u2019t want to pop a button. I try again with a set of 10. My biceps and triceps feel as though they\u2019ve woken up, and I\u2019m not flustered.<\/p>\n \u201cCelebrate the wins,\u201d Aldir says. \u201cGive yourself credit for using that time.\u201d<\/p>\n Level-three push-ups are not for me. No thank you. Photograph: Jessica Hromas\/The Guardian6. Modified farmers\u2019 carry<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t lift our arms up enough in modern life, so our shoulders are at risk of getting stiff,\u201d Sherrington says. \u201cJust lifting up the arms is better than nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n Rafael suggests using whatever you have on hand to do some load-bearing arm exercises. Standing tall with your core engaged, draw your shoulder blades back to engage your mid back, then, pick up a heavy object such as a parcel or backpack with both hands at arm\u2019s length for 10 to 15 seconds. \u201cDo this without flinging the arms quickly or arching your spine to cheat with your lower back muscles,\u201d she says. Slowly lower the object and breathe evenly. Repeat.<\/p>\n \u201cA small child is an excellent weight,\u201d says Gomersall, which is lucky for me as I only remember to do this when I\u2019m at home with my two-year-old. After lifting his 15kg weight to hip height, my arms straighten as much as I can muster, and I hold him for, at a push, five seconds. He\u2019s thrilled \u2013 \u201cmore, more\u201d \u2013 but I don\u2019t have a second rep in me.<\/p>\n 7. Leg marches<\/p>\n Leg marches are self-explanatory but it\u2019s important to start slow and steady and focus on your balance, according to Rafael. \u201cStanding tall, pick up one leg, bring the knee to hip height while balancing on the other. Switch legs and repeat.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you can make them nice and big \u2013 bringing them up to your tummy \u2013 without losing balance, then you will feel it more in the core,\u201d she says. \u201cIf you\u2019re going for a smaller movement, aim for a tabletop leg, with the knee in line with the hip.\u201d<\/p>\n It would feel too Monty Python to do this in public, so standing in the kitchen at home I clock up to 60 leg marches while waiting for the microwave to heat my lunch. I feel it in my hips and thighs but particularly my tight hip flexors. Minutes later, I do 40 more. It\u2019s sort of addictive. I can feel my pulse rise, I\u2019m energised. As though I\u2019ve climbed to the top of a habit stack.<\/p>\n 8. Lateral flexionBend it like a banana: I can feel myself lengthening, especially in my hips. Photograph: Jessica Hromas\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Standing next to a wall, make yourself into a banana shape by crossing one ankle over the other and then leaning towards the wall with your upper body and arms, suggests Rafael. \u201cAnything that involves a little bit of length to the torso, or that involves a stretch element or a dynamic bit of mobility is always great,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n She\u2019s right \u2013 a banana shape does feel good. My neck muscles stretch and my hips loosen a little. It feels good, especially for my iliotibial band.<\/p>\n 9. Squats<\/p>\n If you could only do one exercise, Aldir says, \u201c10 very controlled, maximum-depth body weight squats would be my choice.\u201d Stand with your feet hip-width apart with toes pointing forward. Hinge your hips and sit back. Keep your chest up and your back straight. Squat as deeply as you can.<\/p>\n Squat it like it\u2019s hot: multitasking has never been so sweaty. Photograph: Jessica Hromas\/The Guardian<\/p>\n I skip this one the day I wear a skirt \u2013 but I manage 50 squats during a video meeting, camera off, while wearing looser pants. I\u2019m out of breath and my brow is glistening.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a large number of big muscles in the legs \u2026 and they require more energy, so you\u2019re going to get more bang for your buck with squatting,\u201d Aldir says. The wide range of motion helps \u201copen up the hips and get your lower back and glutes stretching when we get to that bottom position\u201d too.<\/p>\n Want to make it more challenging? \u201cYou might be able to stand on one leg and then squat down,\u201d Sherrington says.<\/p>\n 10. Walk at your desk<\/p>\n \u201cPeople think they need to carve out one to two hours a day to go to the gym and get on the treadmill, but it doesn\u2019t matter whether you run for an hour or you\u2019re walking incredibly slow throughout the day,\u201d says Jamie Montalto, owner of Melbourne\u2019s Jamie Fitness<\/a>. He used to clock up to 20,000 steps a day as a personal trainer but since hiring a team he has been desk-bound.<\/p>\n He bought a walking pad, which he uses on the lowest setting for one-hour blocks \u2013 or until he feels uncomfortable. \u201cYour head bobs while you\u2019re walking \u2026 but you get used to it,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s the best hack ever, even just for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n Work your way upA deserved rest near my desk \u2013 at least I\u2019m not sitting. Photograph: Jessica Hromas\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Each week we should aim for either one and a quarter hours of vigorous physical activity \u2013 where \u201cyou\u2019re huffing and puffing really hard\u201d, Gomersall says \u2013 or a minimum of two and a half hours of moderate physical activity, \u201cwhere you can talk, but you can\u2019t sing\u201d. The Australian government\u2019s physical activity guidelines<\/a> also advise muscle-strengthening activities such as squats and push-ups at least twice a week.<\/p>\n Walking meetings, active commutes and taking the stairs can all help build movement into the day, but Sherrington says to meet the guidelines they \u201cmay not be enough\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re saying something is better than nothing, but then more is actually better as well.\u201d<\/p>\n That being said, \u201cGoing from zero to 100 is where we tend to see injuries develop\u201d, says Gomersall. \u201cFind little things you can do and gradually increase them in a way that\u2019s sustainable for you. It\u2019s important to go at your own pace.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fiorella Rafael remembers feeling stiff at the end of every day in her old office job. \u201cThat lack…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":232141,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[49,48,407,84],"class_list":{"0":"post-232140","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-fitness","11":"tag-health"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232140\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}