Stuck in the middle

A recent study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) shows that physical inactivity is very common in India. Around 54.4 percent people were found inactive during this study. With only 10 per cent of people actually indulging in recreational physical activity the other majority seems to succumb to the perils of a sedentary lifestyle. We speak to Bengalureans to understand what they do to combat these perils.

Working towards a healthy lifestyle while leading a fast paced life is extremely difficult. However, youngsters manage to include a bit of exercise in their daily chores and convert it into a habit than a liability. Nivedita Hiremath, a senior software engineer with a leading software firm says, “I’ve learned that we can’t take our  health for granted. I faced major health issues in the past years due to the continuous seated postures at work. The first indication was when I couldn’t life my arm and was in tremendous pain and it radiated to other parts of the days. After an x-ray the doctor said my seat ergonomics aren’t right and I had to take proper measures. I realised I had to take this serious and hence decided to walk in the mornings and do a bit of yoga. I recently visited an ophthalmologist because of the bad headache I was developing everyday, she advised me the 20 minutes rule.

Once in every 20 minutes you must get off your seat, take a break and move around and try casting your eyes on some greenery. You have to move your eyeballs, rotate your neck a bit and try stretching. I began to do this and I feel my pain reducing a bit.”

Sometimes we just tend to get a bit too engrossed with work and give into the sedentary lifestyle says Ashwini Gurumurthy, a business analyst, “Mood levels dip during situations like this, with a desk job from nine to six it’s impossible to transform to a fitness freak. But I try maybe to walk up for a break or just try to snack on a healthy munchy instead of opting junk food. Because your colleagues just want to call for more food. Which you can’t blame them for living in PGs.”

Bringing in a bit of sports in your sedentary lifestyle can help do wonders believes Nithin Manohar an advanced analyst with the Global immigration team. He says, “I sit almost all day at work and even take a cab to work. Sometimes I realise my body feeling the brunt of the same. I wait for my weekends to treat myself to a nice game of football. This  helps me get rid of all the work stress and the constant need to prove your worth. I would definitely recommend to induce some sports in your daily boring life.”

Giving us a simple exercise to  practice while at our desks is Amy Davidson, a yoga trainer for over a decade, “The continuous pressure on our gluteal muscles from sitting almost all the time can lead them to lose both their strength and tone. Fret not as there are  exercises to fix issues in every part of your body in this case to strengthen the gluteal muscles, while sitting on your chair you have to just push your heels into the floor as like digging them into the ground and simultaneously squeeze your butt very hard by contracting or simply pulling your tailbone in for five seconds. Relax for five seconds and repeat the same exercise for 10 to 20 times in a day.”