Simple Exercises to do after a long day of sitting

 

Online schools are the new norm this year. And just like regular school we sit around a desk only this time our eyes are glued to a laptop, or a tablet or a phone for hours, and just like regular school it’s tedious.  But whether online school is boring or not is not the real concern here, what is however, is just how much the increased usage of our devices is affecting our body. Consequently, for me a day at online school ends with a headache, tired eyes and backache. If this sounds like a regular day for you continue reading for some simple exercises to help your body deal with the stresses of online classes.

It is no secret that excessive usage of these devices that we love so much is taking a toll on our health, and we more than often ignore these health risks, not necessarily out of apathy. The truth is it is almost impossible to not use our gadgets daily. However, it is not impossible to acquire knowledge on how we are being affected and simple ways to help our body combat the negative effects daily.

Vision Problem

Using your laptop or any other device for hours may cause eyestrain, blurry vision and dry eyes.

Dry eyes – when we blink, our eyelids spread a fresh layer of tears across the eye’s surface to keep it moist, therefore blinking regularly is important. However, while on our devices we tend to blink less and this may cause dry eyes (burning and dryness sensation, itchy, sore red eyes).

Tips

• Ensure to adjust brightness to limit the amount of light your eyes are exposed to. Try using night light feature on your laptop which emits a warmer color to reduce the blue light

• Your device should not be positioned so that bright light is being reflected on the screen and affecting how you see the screen.

• Additionally, take a 15 minutes break after staring at the screen for extended period of time, there is even a 20-20-20 rule which states that every 20 minutes you should look away from your screen at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Also it is important to always wear glasses if needed.

 

Headache

Staring at a screen for a while can cause headaches from improper brightness, glare on the screen and poor lightning.

Our eyes are not the only source for our headaches but putting pressure on your neck also causes headaches.

Tips

• As previously mentioned it is important to always take a break and allow your eyes to rest.

• Try working in an area with proper lighting. Not too much or too little light.

 

Poor Sleep

Whether it is for work, game or just the usual scrolling on Instagram, your phone etc. emits a blue light which mimics sunlight and tricks our body into thinking its daytime. Therefore, our desire for sleep is delayed and we have trouble falling asleep, and even our quality of sleep is affected. This will lead to sleep deprivation, and when left untreated can have dire consequences.

Tips

• Many sources encourage us to stop pause using our gadgets for 1-2 hours before going to bed. To be honest I find this very hard, and it’s better to start small like try putting your phone down 30 minutes before sleep and then after a while extend that time. In the end try whatever works for you.

 

Neck and Back pain

Sitting for a long time will cause back pain and sitting for a long time hunched over laptop is exactly what is required of us throughout the day. Proper posture is integral, so ensure to sit upright with monitor just below eye level and keep shoulders relaxed.

Tips

• Take breaks. Whenever start feeling uncomfortable or tense stand for a while as well as do a quick stretch, I've recently started doing shoulder stretches, and it really helps to reduce shoulder pain and tension. 

• Try as much as possible to keep your feet flat on the floor, doing this reduces pressure on the lower back.

 

The one thing majority of us love to hate. However, despite our vendetta with exercising we simply cannot ignore its benefits. So here are some simple exercises to due throughout the day to help assuage as well as prevent pain from having to sit around a laptop or other devices all day.

(Click the links to see how to do each exercise properly for the optimal benefits)

Arm circle

Arm circles are really helpful for those who have to sit around a computer for extended periods. It’s a simple exercise which can be done anywhere and work the shoulders, arms and upper back.

Shoulder rolls

Like arm circles shoulder rolls is simple, convenient and not time consuming. It will help to relieve neck and back tension caused from sitting around a computer all day.

Chair squats

Squats can be done easily throughout the day in a free session or after classes end. It helps to build leg muscles and strengthen them this is super beneficial as legs can become weak from sitting all day.

Planks

Planks help to improve posture. This is a perfect exercise to do after sitting at all day desk hunched over a laptop or any other device or a book. Moreover planks help to relieve back pain while strengthening your muscles and ensuring a strong support for your upper back.

Seated bicycle crunches

Seated bicycle crunches promote better posture and reduced back pain. So grab your chair, not a bicycle, and get crunching.