If you spend a lot of time working on a computer, production line or any other place where you have to sit all day or do repetitive motion changing your routine to regularly interrupt your sitting by standing up or better yet doing simple worm up exercises can make a major difference in your health and risk of chronic disease.

Research is now showing that standing up or better yet doing short breaks for exercises may also influence the way you think and interact with others, helping to boost your productivity and even support creative thinking.

When participants of a study worked in rooms without chairs, group arousal (as measured via special sensors worn on their wrists) was increased, which suggests increased collaboration. The study’s authors noted:

“A primary function of arousal is to signal the importance or significance of environmental stimuli and prepare the body for action… In social situations, joint experiences of arousal promote affiliation and collective sense-making, both of which are essential for motivating collective action.”

What’s more, the standing and even more exercising groups had significantly decreased territorial behavior and increased sharing of information and ideas, just by getting up and out of their chairs and moving around!

The more frequently you get out of your seat, the better, however, because the frequency is the most important aspect it is difficult to implement in a working environment. Based on double-blind research conducted by NASA, the minimum number of times you need to interrupt your sitting in order to counteract its cardiovascular health risks is in the neighborhood of 35 times per day. However, 5 minutes of warm-up exercises may decrease their time. Some studies show that regular exercises done with two hours intervals will dramatically decrease your cardiovascular health risks, work-related injuries, and will increase productivity and creative thinking.

When taking a look at brain physiology it makes better sense. Our brain is encased in a protective sac called “Dural Sac”. The dural sac contains Cerebrospinal fluid. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a clear colorless bodily fluid found in the brain and spine. It is produced in the choroid plexus of the brain. It acts as a cushion or buffer for the brain’s cortex, providing basic mechanical and immunological protection to the brain inside the skull, and it serves a vital function in cerebral autoregulation, food supply (glucose), brain oxygenation, and waste elimination. The CSF occupies the subarachnoid space and the ventricular system around and inside the brain and spinal cord.

The spinal cord ends at about L1-L2 level and is attached to the sacrum via a thin and very durable line called Filum Terminale (FT). FT attaches to the sacrum and with the proper motion of the sacrum it pulls and releases tension onto a spinal cord. This loading and unloading cyclic motion pull the brain down opening four ventricles in the brain thus producing pumping action and increasing CSF circulation.

Improved CSF circulation brings to the brain more oxygen, glucose, immune protection, and eliminates waste thus, improving mental function. Improved mental function means improved memory, improved creativity, improved productivity, etc.

Moreover, our heart is sitting in the chest cavity or thoracic cavity and attached to the spine and diaphragm via Central Tendon (CT). Loading and unloading cycle exercises improve breathing and spinal motion which pulls onto a CT creating pumping motion to the heart giving it “massage” and improving the heart’s blood-pumping ability. Therefore, worm up exercises improves cardiovascular health.

There is another benefit that exercises have for the cardiovascular system over standing. The gravity pulls or pushes if you will, blood toward the ground and it is extremely difficult for the heart to pump the blood back to the lungs. Veins in our body have valves that prevent blood from falling back to the ground. Veins in our legs situated between muscles. When we exercise those muscles contract and these constructions pump blood upward towards the heart. This improves your cardiovascular health and unloads heart muscle preventing various cardiovascular disorders.

In today’s economy when health care costs an outrageous amount of money per month and designed by the government not to pay for your health needs. Health becomes important more than ever; from the perspective of your well-being and from a financial standpoint. There are many benefits to be derived for you and your employer by implementing simple steps at your home or office.

If you are interested in learning more about this life-changing program, come to our office for a free lecture. If you would like us to come to your office and help you stay healthy, more creative, and productive at your workplace or home talk to your employer and we will come to your office free of charge.

Do not stagnate. Be proactive. Take charge of your health and life. Remember, If you ignore your health, it will go away.