What exercises should you do not to gain weight and avoid pain if you spend the day sitting

• What should you do to avoid gutting over the years

Does our head hurt? Pastillazo to the song. The lumbar do not let us live? We ask for time for the 'physio' (which is not bad at all) and fixed ... for today. Of the obvious weight gain, we better not talk. They are things of age.

So day after day, until, suddenly, we are more seized than Robocop but with Homer Simpson's stomach . "I do not understand why this transformation is due! What is lost over the years", we self-justify without wanting to see that the problem is, as we never tire of repeating in ZEN, our lifestyle.

Because, we want to recognize it or not, there is no body that can endure spending a minimum of eight hours with the butt attached to the chair day after day.

If we all know that we are designed to move (hence the prodigious network of muscles, joints, etc.), why don't we do it?

In 'Feel good to feel better "(Dome Books), Harriet Griffey discusses the enormous evil we are causing our health with our sedentary lifestyle." The long hours we spend sitting, working, driving or lying on the couch, They weaken our muscles and affect our posture , which can lead to muscle tension, headaches, digestive disorders and fatigue. Not to mention the back pain that currently affects more than 80% of workers, "says the writer and journalist.

What can we do to avoid this condition that, in the worst case, can become the trigger of more serious health complications such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease or various types of cancer? Griffey gives us four clues : "Move, stretch, strengthen and correct."

MOVEMENT

Although our endemic laziness (disguised as lack of time) leads us to believe otherwise, it is the simplest recommendation to carry out all three.

The least ambitious goal would be to reach those 150 minutes of weekly physical activity advised by the World Health Organization to enjoy a reasonably good state of health.

To reach it, it is not necessary to even plant the tracksuit. Simply take advantage of any of our daily activities to move .

How? On the street , walking as much as we can and more (do we try to take 10,000 steps - about 8 km - every day?) Or by cycling.

At work, getting up from the chair every hour to walk or perform some type of stretching and forgetting the elevator forever. If climbing stairs it worked for Cary Grant to be fit without stepping on the gym, sure to us too.

STRETCHES

The human gargoyle posture that we adopt before the computer (with the head forward, the back hunched and the shoulders rotated forward) ends up paying us anatomically.

To avoid it, it is essential to stretch . "It is essential to work on joint mobility in the lumbar square area to release the tension of the intervertebral discs, between L4 and L5, which is the vertebra most affected by low back pain," advises Daniel Porro, manager and physiotherapist of Atrium 3 ( Madrid).

How? "Sitting on the edge of the chair to release the hip, doing an anteversion and retroversion of the pelvis. Also stretching of the pyramidal, gluteus medius, dorsal and trapezius."

Porro warns about the position of kyphosis -to gargoyle- which our lifestyle leads us to, "in the office, in the car, in the subway" and that can only be remedied with a good job of estimating and strengthening the ' core '.

STRENGTHEN

The obsession to lose weight caused that, for decades, the cardio eclipsed by force. It was thought that the most effective way to burn calories was to crush yourself with eternal aerobic sessions. Fortunately (for our muscles and joints), strength work has regained the place of honor it deserves.

"Keeping your upper back, arms and abdomen muscles strong will help protect your entire body from the long hours you spend in the chair," says Harriet Griffey in 'Sit well to feel better.' To your list of key areas you should add buttocks and legs.

How to work our muscles to perform their functions correctly, both anatomical and metabolic? First of all, putting us at the orders of a qualified personal trainer who designs a customized plan according to our age, physical condition and objectives.

"Push-ups (with or without knees resting on the floor), isometric abs (plates) and squats" are, according to coach Martín Giacchetta, the winning trio (basic) to work the force without using material.

TO CORRECT

"Sitting in any way ends up becoming a habit and aggravates the already bad posture," says Griffey. To correct it, the first step would be to check how we sit and put into practice these eight tips that you give us in your book:

1. Make sure your head is aligned with your shoulders and chin inward.

2. Sit in an upright posture, leaning on the backrest and using a small cushion in the lower back to hold your back well.

3. Your thighs should be at right angles to your hips (don't put your feet under the chair).

4. The computer screen should be right in front of your eyes.

5. The shoulders should be relaxed and backward (no more gargoyles!).

6. The keyboard should be at elbow height when you sit.

7. When you type, the dolls must be straight, parallel to the floor.

8. Take breaks every 30 minutes to walk or stretch.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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