Resist!

I recently saw an article on Business Week about how "your office chair is killing you," meaning that sitting all day long in an office chair is bad for your health. Duh! While doing some research for this article, though, I found this delicious post entitled, Your Office Chair is NOT Killing You, on a blog by someone who calls herself "Siouxsy Law," making me think she's a lawyer. There is also a link to the original article mentioned in Business Week. I like her take on this. It is also worthwhile reading the comments at the bottom of the post.

However, it really is true that we shouldn't spend long hours in front of our computers, or our TVs, or in our recliners without doing something useful with the rest of our bodies. It doesn't have to be much. (Even fidgeting and wiggling around is better than no movement at all, it seems.) In my exercise class, we use resistance bands along with weights to increase our muscle tone. These puppies really work, and they are easy to take along with you when you travel, come in easy to hard resistance, and they can be discreetly placed next to your easy chair to remind you to pick one up. Imagine yourself as this young lady sitting in your recliner and pulling on the bands. (Okay, she might be a little younger than most of us.)

Resistance training can also increase your leg and arm strength. These bands can be purchased in long strips (like in this picture) or in loops. All I do if I want a loop is tie the ends together. With the ends together, I can put the band over my knees and try to push them apart, strengthening my inner thighs. Or I put the band over my head and try to force my arms apart, making the resistance just as much as I want by moving my hand closer or farther from the end.

You can also get these at just about any store that sells exercise equipment. If you were looking for something to do while watching old reruns of NCIS instead of snacking, this might do the trick.
:-)