Working from home shouldn’t be an excuse to not take care of your body and physical well-being. I have to confess, I’ve been working from home for many many years and sadly this isn’t a priority at times.
I get caught up in my work, running errands and taking care of household stuff. Even though it feels like I’m moving my body, it’s not in a healthy or beneficial manner.
There comes a point where I start feeling sluggish, tight, achy and foggy. And I hate feeling this way. It also causes me to lack focus and be less productive.
This is why I’m working on being more proactive than reactive with the help of expert advice from Cindy Glaser, Physical Therapist, DPT, OCS, NCPT based in Los Angeles.
Q: How did you come up with your Concierge Physical Therapy service?
A: After graduating physical therapy school, I worked at your average physical therapy clinic. I was seeing 2 to 4 patients an hour and could only spend 15–20 minutes with each patient before passing them onto an aide to finish their session.
Not only did this type of workload make me feel exhausted and burned out, but I felt like the time restrictions that were enforced left me unable to provide the quality of treatment that I wanted to provide to my patients.
It finally became too much, and I decided to venture out on my own in search of finding a way to provide a higher quality of care to the patients that I treat.
Q: How does it work exactly?
A: Concierge PT allows patients to have physical therapy in the comfort and convenience of their home (which is extra valuable during this time) and also allows me to spend the appropriate time and energy on each patient to figure out the best way to treat them. With a 1-hour visit I’m able to provide them with the best care possible.
The really amazing part is that I’m also a Nationally Certified Pilates Trainer and can incorporate the principles of Pilates to my patient’s programs to provide a holistic approach to their treatment.
I’ve had many patients start with physical therapy for rehabilitation and transition to a wellness/fitness program with Pilates and personal training. This has helped them meet their fitness goals. One of my favorite things is to see someone feel better and choose to incorporate fitness regularly into their weekly routine. Especially after feeling like their lives were taken away from an injury.
Q: I’ve noticed you lead with talking about posture first. Why is posture so important?
A: Posture is defined as the way our bodies and limbs are aligned. In our modern culture, unfortunately we spend too much time sitting at our computer, driving and scrolling through our phones.
Our bodies are not designed to be in any single posture all day. Yet we will spend 10-12 hours sitting at the computer working and wonder why our necks and backs are stiff.
That being said, having a desk job is not a death sentence and doesn’t mean that you are destined to a life of pain.
I believe with the right exercises you can counteract the stresses that are put on your body from sitting. Combine that with a regular fitness routine to keep your muscles strong is a recipe for setting your body up for success and longevity.
Q: What are some helpful body tips for people stuck at home working from their desk, dining table or sofa all day?
A: Number one… MOVE! Our best posture is ultimately our next posture and although it might seem like a nuisance to get up and walk around, that’s the best for our bodies.
I also like to think about the concept of recovery. Athletes spend a ton of time recovering from the stress they put their bodies under during their training. When we go about our day, whether we’re sitting or extremely active, we are putting our bodies under stresses as well.
So we really should be spending time recovering from those stresses. I have an eBook that shares how to do this. It’s an educational tool to help people understand how posture can affect their bodies and what to do to prevent any potential downfalls of incorrect posture and inactivity.
Q: What types of stretches or exercise can one do at home to alleviate lower back pain and overall stiffness?
A: Getting a standing desk, changing positions frequently, and walking are all great ways to help with stiffness. Walk at a pace that gets your heart rate up. It helps with your cardiovascular health, stiffness, and also has a lot of benefits in terms of pain perception.
Hip mobility and “core” strength are key in supporting low back health and preventing injury. A lot of our hip muscles attach to either our pelvis, or directly to our spine. When our hip muscles are short, they can put abnormal stresses on our spine.
However, it is important to note that just because a muscle feels “stiff” does not always mean that it is short/inflexible. Oftentimes, stiffness is actually a result of weakness instead of a lack of flexibility.
Last but certainly not least, our abdominals provide active support to our spine. When our abdominals are weak, that means more stress is put on our body’s passive structures (joints, bones, ligaments, discs, etc). When we’re stable and strong these stresses are minimized.
Q: Are there any physical aches/pains to be aware of that may lead to something more damaging down the road if not treated?
A: We always think that pain is a bad thing. But pain is actually very helpful. If you had your hand over a hot flame, would you want to feel pain? Of course! That way you know to take your hand away and keep it from burning off.
Pain is our body’s way of alerting us that we’re doing something that it doesn’t like. So first and foremost, listen to your body!
For example, if working on the computer in your bed is causing soreness/stiffness in your neck and back, respect your body and build a work station. It sounds like a hassle but your body deserves to be treated well.
Don’t wait until you’re debilitated to get treatment. Our bodies do so much for us. Yet we often take them for granted and wait far too long before getting the help we need.
Research has shown that the longer you have pain, the more complex it becomes. It can become a slippery slope. It’s better to treat symptoms early to decrease the likelihood that your pain becomes chronic.
Q: Any other tips or suggestions you can offer our readers?
A: My favorite PT phrases are “Motion is lotion” and “Rest makes you rusty”.
I feel like a broken record sometimes but movement is so important. Without it our muscles become weaker, joints become stiffer, and we can actually exacerbate our pain instead of helping it.
3 EXERCISES TO HELP YOU RECOVER FROM WORKING AT HOME
1. Upper Extremity Brugger: This is an easy exercise to perform at your desk to reverse everything that happens when you are sitting.
- Sit up tall at the edge of your chair. Elbows bent by your side. Feet flat on the floor.
- Slightly tuck your chin by bringing your eye gaze to your thighs.
- Spread your fingers wide and extend your wrists.
- Squeeze your shoulder blades together and open your forearms wide. Repeat 10 times.
2. Seated Hip Flexor Stretch: Sitting makes our hips TIGHT! Perform this exercise to give the front of your hips a good stretch.
- Sit up tall with your back against the chair and slightly off
to one side. - Reach your leg behind you so that you feel a stretch in the
front of your thigh, remembering to engage your abdominals slightly to prevent arching of lower back. - Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat other side.
3. Foam Roll Series: Grab your foam roller and perform these exercises to help relax and mobilize your body.
- Lie on back with spine along foam roll. Keep abdominals engaged throughout exercise.
- Extend arms out into “T” with palms up to ceiling. Hold 3 minutes.
- Scissors: Extend one arm up to ear and one arm down to feet. Switch. Repeat 10 times each.
- Circles: Circle arms up, out to side, and around x10. Reverse circles x10 in opposite direction
Lastly, where can people find you?
Website www.cindyglaser.com