Get up, get out

When we hear about ailments caused by excessive sitting, we think of the office. “That’s been the main setting for people who realize it’s not too smart to sit at a desk all day,” says workplace ergonomic consultant Janice Riley. “People come to the office early, park themselves in front of the computer and barely move until they need to go to the bathroom or grab something to eat.”

Computer stands, standing desks, walking meetings and other concepts emerged to combat the workday sloth but COVID-19 is teaching us that a sedentary approach to work isn’t exclusive to the office. “You don’t engage your muscles, your weight is focused on your lower back and your heart can slow down to the point where your body is practically in sleep mode,” says Dr. Michael Wickerson, a general physician in Los Angeles.

If you find yourself sitting in one place for more than an hour, Wickerson recommends a 10-minute break every hour to keep your body in motion.

Bryan Gilbert, a medical records technician who works from his home in St. Louis, says he can sit at his desk for 16 hours a day without even thinking about it. “I wake up, maybe take a quick shower and then I’m at my desk for hours,” says Gilbert, 59.

Today, Gilbert’s new co-worker, a fourlegged companion who joined him earlier this year, helps him approach his day much differently than before. “My wife bought me a puppy, which is the last thing I wanted,” Gilbert says. “But she insisted, so now I have this little mutt that I have to take for walks three or four times a day because if I don’t, he’ll start chewing on furniture.”

But make no mistake about Gilbert’s true feelings. “I love the little guy,” he says. “I just feel better, physically and mentally since the dog came. He gets me moving. I owe him a lot.”

— Marco Buscaglia, Careers