RKC News - November 2016

Anyone who works in an office knows it... you literally sit your ass off. Sure, you can always bring a little variety and movement by going to the copier, taking the empty coffee cup to the dishwasher, or fetching copy paper for your colleagues. However, none of this is a real break from sitting.

For most "frequent sitters," the gluteus maximus, the large buttock muscle, has really just become a cushion and serves no function anymore. Yet, it is one of the most important muscles responsible for a healthy, pain-free back. It aligns the pelvis and the lumbar spine as it should. If the "gentleman" refuses to do his job, our pelvis tilts forward, the spine bends forward, the vertebrae in the lumbar area compress the discs, and pain is already pre-programmed.

Maybe not yet for everyone who spends most of their day sitting, but it surely won't be long before it catches up.

Another problem that arises is mobility restrictions due to too much sitting. The hip becomes stiff, muscles shorten or harden. Again, an indication that our body wants to adapt to only one load, namely sitting. However, we should take advantage of our body's ability to adapt.

And now the kettlebell comes into play! It has the great advantage of not really standing out or taking up space in the office.

Even training with it takes up a maximum of 2-5m² (depending on the size and volume of the trainee ;) . Moreover, the sessions with it are short and snappy.

When your colleague returns from their smoke break, you've already done something for your health. You can perfectly interrupt the stimulus of "sitting" with a stimulus of "swinging" multiple times during the workday.

This even has several advantages:

• You get up from your office chair
• You train functional movement patterns that save you pain
• You get your circulation going and thus prevent dozing off in front of the PC
• You encourage colleagues to do the same (at first they look confused, then they laugh, and suddenly they want to join in)

Start your active recovery in the office too. Not familiar with kettlebells? You can find trainers who will teach you the basics here: www.rkckettlebell.de

The University of Homberg studied 1600 children aged 6 to 17 years. About 40% of them were unable to stand upright.