Tired eyes, stiff shoulders, and annoying lower back pain, sound familiar? These are pains that most if not all university students have experienced. And perhaps it’s not that surprising – university life, especially the academic side, consists of being glued to a desk/table for hours at a time, hunched over a piece of paper or a laptop.
Sitting for so long, especially in awkward positions with poor posture, our body tightens and loosens certain muscles to create more stability. This tightness causes tension, which is where the stiffness and pains come from!
However, imagine standing up every hour, stretching and relaxing your body. You stretch your arms overhead, roll your shoulders back, and take a trip to the kitchen to refill on some water. All of this only takes 5 or so minutes; however, once you return to your seat, you feel that your mind is clearer, your body lighter, and your productivity is noticeably better.
And all it took was some movement.
We often think of exercise as this monumental commitment. Hours at the gym, expensive memberships, or high-intensity workouts.
But here’s the truth: movement doesn’t have to mean sweat-soaked gym sessions or marathon training. It can be low key fun activities with friends or as simple as standing up, walking around, and stretching for a few minutes every hour!
And the benefits? Incredible.
How to get moving
Most of us know that exercising and stretching are good for you. So why is it that so many people still don’t? If being healthy was a strong enough motivator, then the fast-food industry would instantly collapse. However, that’s not the case, as human beings crave the sweet release of dopamine, a chemical in our brain that gives us feelings of pleasure and satisfaction.
If that’s the case, then the best way to get moving is to make it enjoyable! The easiest way to make any form of exercise fun is to do it with other people. Playing a sport together with someone, having them motivate you to do one more set of exercise, or working towards a shared goal are all ways you can get moving with someone else. The reason why sports move us so much is because of that driving power of teamwork.
However, let’s say your friends are busy this week, but you still want to train. Take a look at Sporticipate. These sessions allow students to take part in sports no matter their skill level, and most of the events are free too. So you get to try out any sport you want, not have to spend a penny, have fun, and meet new people with a common interest; it’s a win-win situation! Joining a session may seem intimidating, but everyone is there to have fun, and it’s a lot more laid-back than the sports teams.
You can also exercise completely on your own, but make sure to make it enjoyable! Put on some of your favourite music or find a quiet place where you can truly focus and lose yourself. It’ll take a bit of practice, but changing your mindset from “ugh, I have to exercise” to “I can’t wait to do this!” is your first step to getting any sort of consistent movement.
But what if I don’t have the time?
There will be days or weeks where life truly takes over, whether it’s exam season or you have some tight deadlines. Well, those are the times when movement is most important, as it’s when you’ll be sitting and stressing out the most. If putting a workout into your routine seems impossible, then let me introduce the magic of stretching!
Stretching is like giving your body a mini reset. As I’ve said before, sitting for long periods of time builds tension, and stretching is a way to release that tension. By stretching, you also allow your muscles to go beyond their original elastic limit, which allows for a greater range of motion and therefore less of a chance to build tension.
A simple but effective stretching routine in between study blocks would be:
- Roll your shoulders backwards and forwards 8 times each way.
- Slowly turn your head around, first clockwise, then anticlockwise after that.
Hold for at least 15 seconds, rest for 10 seconds in between, and perform 3 times.
- Bend at the hips, and let your arms dangle towards your feet (you should be able to feel your hamstrings and lower back; this one takes some practice to do correctly if you’re not used to it, as it’s a bit different from just touching your toes).
- Side stretch by holding both of your hands above your head, then leaning to the left and right
- Stretching legs to the side, both sides
YouTube also has countless different stretching tutorials; however, the sheer amount of them may seem intimidating, so I’ve linked some that I’ve found useful to give you a starting point!
There are also some differences between dynamic and static stretches, so if you’re interested in that, I’ll link a video to those too.
Stretch routines to get you started
Stretches (note that these videos are on the longer side; however, they go over exactly how to do each stretch and why)
Also note, if you are new to stretching, make sure to take regular breaks, as overstretching also isn’t good for you (a good stretch should only really last 10-15 minutes).
And here’s information I found useful on how stretching changes muscles and Dynamic vs.Static Stretching
Posture and Walking: Small Changes, Big Impact
When playing a game of Jenga, you make sure to stack all the blocks as evenly as possible so that the tower doesn’t fall. Even though placing the blocks quickly and easily would take less effort, it would be a hindrance later when you have a weak foundation. Your spine and posture should be treated the same way. Even though it may feel uncomfortable at first to keep your back straight while you sit and walk, in the long run, your joints, especially in your spine, will have reduced wear and tear, meaning that you’ll have less risk of having joint pain the older you get!
One of the things I constantly see is people walking while looking at their phones. Not only is this bad for your health as you don’t let your brain relax by letting it process information, but it’s also detrimental to your neck, as it’s forced into an awkward position for a long period of time. Unless it’s an emergency, whatever’s on your phone can wait until later!
Overall, movement is extremely important, especially in the modern world when so many of our daily actions are automated or can be done while sitting down. So if you were sitting while reading this blog, try some of the stretches I’ve mentioned; you’ll notice straight away how much better you feel!