Office work Balancing seats with around 10,000 steps

Back pain, neck tension, headache: Anyone who has a desk job and spends most of his day sitting, knows such complaints. Office workers should therefore provide compensation, ideally also cover longer distances on foot and exercise regularly.

Ensure sufficient movement
Even if office work is not physically demanding compared to a job on the job site, those who sit at their desks all day can quickly experience symptoms such as headaches or a stiff neck. Therefore, workers who are busy in their job should be careful to get enough exercise. "Ideal is when office workers go at least 10 000 steps per day," said occupational physician Christoph Oberlinner, in a message from the news agency dpa.

Constant sitting is hard work for the back
For the back, the constant sitting is hard work, because it strains the muscles unilaterally, explained Oberlinner, who is on the board of the German Association for Occupational Medicine and Environmental Medicine. Among other things, office workers can use a free app on their smartphone to check whether they can do the necessary work. One of these is offered on the Internet, among others, by the Berufsgenossenschaft für Transport und Verkehrssicherheit. "Many are surprised how little steps they actually take each day," said Oberlinner.

Doing sport three times a week
Control via app (for Android and for iOS) could be an incentive to integrate more exercise into everyday life. In addition to getting up and moving during working hours, can also bring the right seat dynamics discharge. The Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Baua) recently recommended to professionals in this context, for example, occasionally rocking back and forth with the pelvis or shifting the weight from one buttock half to the other. In addition, health experts recommend regular stretching exercises and customized office furniture. In addition, it is good to play at least three times a week for about 20 minutes in the leisure sports. This can be, for example, walking, cycling or jogging. (Ad)

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