Stiffness in the neck, shooting pains in the lumbar region, eye irritation… sedentary workers are often plagued by a profusion of niggling pains. To cope with the physical aggravations of office life, Anne-Charlotte Vuccino, the founder of Yogist, recommends some quick and easy exercises that can be done in the workplace.

Keep it simple

95% of people do not go to the gym or get any regular physical exercise. Today, most workers spend their days sitting in front of a computer, and almost all complain of back pain, digestive trouble, or other problems. So, based on these two observations, how can we reconcile current working habits and the need for physical exercise? The idea is to free yourself from any practical constraints that keep you from exercising. Stretching, for instance, is very beneficial and requires no equipment. Even sitting in your office chair, you can stretch your back or neck. It is important to take the time to do it, even for three or five minutes, when you arrive at the office or at any other time of the day.

Be aware of how you move your body

Stretching is a good start, but we can go further. For example, if you spend a lot of time on the phone while taking notes, it is probably worth your while to get a headset. This will keep you from having to perform contortions to hold the phone against your head while you type on the keyboard. Also, try to adopt a good posture when you are seated. Look up from the screen for five minutes, several times during the day. It’s a set of little things that can really make a big difference.

Don’t forget that it is necessary

Studies show that a sedentary lifestyle and back pain are closely linked. When you are feeling tired, suffering from digestive trouble, or struggling through pain because of your posture, the impact on your work can only be negative. Similarly, there is a link between physical disorders and absenteeism. And in some companies, the absence of a single employee may be enough to disrupt a whole department. Well-being at work is therefore everyone’s business, from the employee to the boss.

Anne-Charlotte Vuccino Graduated from HEC in 2009. Now heads the company Yogist, which specializes in office well-being. After a serious car accident, yoga saved her from losing a leg. That experience gave her the idea of bringing the benefits of yoga into the workplace.

 

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