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Innocent Choga Fitness
Office workers have often been thought of as the class of workers that needs exercise the most. This is because they spend most of their time at work seated and they encounter a lot of stressful situations that their bodies absorb without an immediate outlet to vent the stress on. As human beings we are meant to move; they say life is motion and motion is life.

The fact is that all classes of workers need to exercise. Even if we are physical workers there are some components of fitness we do not involve during the execution of our duties.

Some jobs require the worker to do repetitive chores; doing the same thing during the whole working period builds tension in our bodies. Tension may results in stress and stress can cause illnesses. This tension is a result of internal force produced within our bodies and it is not exercise.

Sitting, as a passive activity puts tension on certain muscles. If we exercise regularly these muscles are conditioned therefore we may suffer less from the aches and pains it is associated with.

But even then we still need to stretch because prolonged sitting itself builds tension in the physique. Sitting on a desk continuously for a long time renders our muscles tight, stiff and stressed. In addition, work rumours, job insecurity, missed targets, grumpy co-workers and customers and other such work situations can pile on more stress.

When we visit service centres we all want to get served quickly and we do not expect the worker at the other end to move away from their position until we have been served. Rightly so, because continually standing in a queue creates tension in us, just as much as maintaining the same position creates tension on the service provider. Staying glued to the chair and desk will also result in us compromising in our efficiency; losing focus, making mistakes, losing speed and getting grumpy.

There are immediate and long-term health and fitness implications we have to take into consideration. Medical Practitioners frequently deal with chronic pains, impairments and mood alterations suffered by office executives as a result of their executive functions. They refer to these ailments which have become common by the term “execu-pains”.

But what can be done to counter these ailments? Taking regular breaks; going to the water dispenser, or visiting workmates in other offices for instance help ease the tension. These are things that we do at times consciously and sometimes unconsciously. But quite often we forget to do this when we get caught up in our work trying to meet deadlines or clear up the work we have lined up for us.

Please note that there is a difference between loitering, skiving and recharging the batteries. Stretching and exercising will help clear the mind and relieve pressure. But what exercises can you do at work without looking ridiculous to fellow workmates? I think there is nothing wrong telling your workmates that you exercise and stretch for relaxation.

There are so many simple exercises that can be done, you do not have to be scientific about it and you do not have to break sweat in the process. Office exercises should never be painful or make one feel uncomfortable. These simple routines will make you learn to be active and enjoy moving your body.

One exercise example is the use of the doorway to do so many stretches. You can put your hands firmly on the door at shoulder width and stretch the chest and shoulder by pressing yourself through the door-frame. You can hold the inner side of the door frame and then pull yourself towards and away from the door frame stretching the back.

Standing right at the desk you can do the clock stretch; circulating the head and stretching the neck. You can also do the arms stretch; raising arms upward and dropping them to shoulder level.

The shoulder horizontal shoulder stretch locking one hand outstretched to the side with the other and the shoulder and chest stretch where you reach behind the back clenching hands lifting them as far as they can go.

I have mentioned the above exercises because according to medical experts, common office ailments include head and neck caused by cradling the phone with shoulders and also craning the neck to peer at the computer screen. Stress has been known to cause shoulder and arm pains.

Office workers are prone to lower back aches. The lower back is sorely responsible for supporting the upper body when seated. It gets increasingly stressed particularly if one has bad seating habits or they are overweight and/or has weak abdominal muscles. Strong abdominals can help stabilise the posture.

Leg pains can also cause lower back pains so it is important to stretch the legs. Jaw exercises can help those who are in the habit of clenching jaws and grinding teeth when stressed.

Despite the fact that we exercise before or after work even at the gym, we are also prone to the problems caused by prolonged seating. Therefore we also have to do some loosening activities during office hours, these will help us unwind.

According to experts, frequent prolonged sitting cause catabolism; the wasting away of muscle. Valid research has also shown that the aches and pains associated with prolonged sitting interfere with the normal functioning of human beings , causing not only impairments by affecting the cognitive skills ,but also affecting the mood causing negative emotional states of mind. Experts term these executive dysfunctions.

If we do not move, our bodies become sluggish and we lose the value of our bodies. Being fit can result in higher job satisfaction, increased morale, and greater productivity with fewer sick leave days.

 Email:[email protected] Innocent Choga is a six time National Bodybuilding Champion with international experience. He is studying for a science degree in Physical Education and Sport.