Well, during my research, I stumbled upon the symptoms of osteoporosis, one of which is stooped posture.
Kind of like mine.
The Hunchback of Orlando
Which seems to be getting worse every single day I work at my desk job. Pretty soon I’m going to look like Quasimodo.
Juliemodo
I think poor posture is just one of the many ailments that plague desk workers on a day-to-day basis. According to an article from Health.com, the hazards of sitting at a desk all day include, “back pain, repetitive stress injuries, obesity and even an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease.”
How peachy!
In the article, the author suggests stretching your legs and moving around for five minutes every hour. Though I tend to become a lump in my chair, not moving unless its snack or meal time, lately this has changed. I owe my more constant movement to my latest initiative…
Drinking more water!
GULP
Chugging more water fights dehydration but also fills up my little bladder so I have to get up to pee all… the… time. Now I’m hydrated and moving around every hour or so. Win! We’ll see if I can keep this up. My relationship with drinking more water is a rocky one. I’m gold for about a week until I forget and go back to living my desert lifestyle.
Lunch
I did make sure to hop out of my chair and stretch my legs in the break room while I prepared my lunch.
Today’s meal included a shrimp salad wrap made with broccoli slaw.
Shrimp Salad
The grapefruit I snagged on my walk this morning served as my side.
Grapefruit that Looks Like Lemon
Lunchtime!
Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could pluck every piece of fruit we enjoyed fresh off the tree, bush or vine? Sign me up!
P.S. The Fashion page was updated this afternoon!
P.P.S. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your nominations for the Women’s Health magazine blog roll. You guys make me smile. 🙂
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Love your posts and am so happy to nominate you for the Blog Roll!!
I never knew you could pick fruit from public trees! When I was in Rome, they told us to *absolutely not* pick from the trees because the oranges were inedible.
I do the same thing! Im constantly chugging water. My coworkers probably think I’m a nutcase since I’m always leaving my desk to go to the restroom!
I found yoga really helped with my posture, but as the day wears on, I find myself slumping more and more and feel my shoulders creeping up to my ears from stress. :\
You could also try using a smaller cup so you have to get up more often to get water
Heck yes that looks like a lemon! I seriously questioned your sanity for a second!
Wayy to funny!! haha I have poor posture too!
Do you really sit that badly though? Admit it if you do, girl! DON’T hide it! lolol
ha, that was an exaggeration… but only slight. i am seriously stooped all day. it’s awful!
Ugh! I catch myself slouching at my desk all the time! It’s hard to have perfect posture when you’re looking at a computer screen all day. Keep drinking that water, it’s awesome. Yesterday I drank a total of 100oz.. crazy, I know.
I DRINK SO SO MUCH too! which is good when im in my daily routine, but im a nuisance on road trips! WOAH that grapefruit 100% looks like a lemon.. are you sure thats not a lemon?.. perhaps all this hard desk-working has been playing with your head……. 😉
I can’t believe you can get grapefruit on your way to work!! I have yet to see a grapefruit tree in oh-so-sunny London! 😛
And I LOVE your glass!! It’s amazing!!
tervis tumbler, baby. i love ’em!
I am looking at them online right now! They are so cute! What size do you have? 16 or 24 oz?
You can call me Brittanymodo… I need to correct my posture stat because I’m only 5’1″ and need all the height I can get! 🙂
i am honestly terrified of losing inches. my grandma used to be 5’10” and she’s now 5’4”. she has SEVERE osteoporosis. it’s terrifying.
Geez! i had NO idea that it could be that bad… is the only way to prevent that from happening by staying active and a good diet?!
Yoga helped my posture also…
And I read in some magazine that standing up while talking on the phone at work is good and gets your blood flowin’. I try to remember to do that now whenever I’m on the phone, and I do feel better.
Although I do feel weird and like I’m trying to look important or something while I’m pacing back and forth…
I slouch so bad when I’m sitting at my desk at work all day. I really need to work on my posture. I am totally with you on the water thing! I’m trying to force myself to drink more water but it’s REALLY hard.
That grapefruit does look like a lemon! It would be so amazing if we could pick all of the fruit we eat off trees for free! 🙂
That shrimp salad looks yummy, and you are oh so welcome for the nomination! 🙂
I too drink like a maniac and pee ALL the time. My husband knows this and always sits in the center or window seat so I can have the aisle, so I don’t have to jump over him- sweet, eh?? Good idea for a salad–and you’re welcome for the nomination, you deserve it 🙂
I always try to sit up straight, and take care of my back, specially because my father had some kind of progressive spine disease. Stretching and moving around during those long working hours is really important 🙂
Good for you for gettin your water!! I aim to drink one 500 mL water bottle on the way to work, one – two before lunch, one with lunch, and one -two after + a few cups at home. Now I literally pee all the time. Is it weird that I like peeing clear though (tmi?)?! haha
For a minute I thought that was a lemon! I was going to say you are a little crazy to eat a whole lemon : )
omg. if you’re the hunchback of orlando, then i’m the hunchback of oahu! i’m slumped at a desk all day (AND i don’t drink much water either!)…AND when i was about 25 i was told i had the bone density of someone 10 years older than my age. yikes. this is not good!
I have the same problem with hydration! 🙂 I know it’s good to drink water but all the trips make it a little inconvenient haha!
My post tonight is about the plagues of desk work! I worry about my posture constantly!
I work in a place where we have to borrow a key every time we go to the restroom. It’s like my personal version of hell! I actually limit my water intake based on this dilemma. My only dream one day is to have a private office with my own bathroom in the corner! Then I’ll know I’ve made it…
You could try sitting on an exercise ball. I recently brought on to my job where I also sit all day and it forces you to sit up straight. Plus you get to bounce on it when you’re bored 🙂
i just brought this up at work and now everyone wants one! 😀
My mom has severe osteopenia (almost osteoporosis) and my grandmother has osteoporosis. She’s tiny (probably about 4’9″ now, from 5’5″) and completely hunched over- it’s both sad and scary for me to see. That’s one of the many reasons why it’s SO important to strength train. I’m not that good about it, but I think sometimes God sends me little reminders, like this post!
i was told that i have osteopenia when i was in college. it freaked the HECK out of me and i take calcium supplements 2x a day and try to eat a lot of calcium-rich foods. i think it’s great to be aware. let’s try to keep our 5/6 3/4” height! 🙂
It is soo easy to forget to get up and stretch out, especially if you are in the middle of a big project. I try to drink more water to but I also get into a rut and I don’t drink as much as I should until I again force myself.
man, you’re good with that water stuff. I honestly hate the taste of water, and you’ll never find me drinking the stuff unless I’m working out or (very rarely) craving some… which would mean I’m already severely dehydrated.
it’s really great. 😉
You just made me sit up straight!
My boyfriend and I planted an orange hybrid tree last year (oranges, lemons, limes) and only had one lemon this year. I watched it grow all year and when we finally had it, it was so juicy and delish (used in smoothie). This year the tree is flowering like crazy. I can’t wait for the fruit on it next year!
I work at a desk too & have to be remember to stretch.
I also find that going on runs & working out is extra great for me because I have such a sedentary job. It always feels so great going for a run or walk after work after sitting all day long. 🙂
If I had your job, I would diagnose myself with all sorts of ailments every day!
we all do. it’s tragic. everyone around my office is convinced they have some sort of plague.
My job has me sitting at a desk on the computer for many hours of the day as well, so I totally get what you mean! I also drink LOTS of water because not only is it good for you but it forces me to get up and use the restroom every so often. I think people around me probably find it weird that I have to go all the time, but I have a small bladder! Thanks, Julie…finally someone who understands!!!
i’m glad i am not the only one who used their work computer’s webcam 😉
Oh man that salad looks amazing!!!! =D
I’m the same way when I drink lots of water……for some reason its worse at night though….
I nominated you for the Women’s Health blog roll & I just stumbled on your blog about a week ago! I love your tips, recipe ides, etc! I find myself looking forward to “what’s next” everytime I read one of your blogs! I, too, struggle with my posture, and it’s something I’m constantly correcting while I sit at my desk all day. I straighten up for about 5 minutes or so, but soon find myself slumped right back over the keyboard!
Hi Julie! I love your blog :)!
I’m so glad you posted this about how awful sitting all day is for you and some actual research behind it! I’m an occupational therapy student and part of what we do it what’s call “ergonomics consulting/training”. We train people and companies on proper posture and body mechanics during the workday! It’s such a problem nowadays!
Love your budget-friendly recipes and love your workouts girl! Keep up the good work! 🙂
I have the worst posture – especially when I’m sitting on the couch – ugh!! I’ve been acknowledging it though, so I know it’s something I need to work on!
I bring a jumbo bottle of water to my night classes so I: A) get in some H2o during my day and B) Get out of class more often so I don’t fall asleep 🙂
xoxo
lolo
thanks for brining up osteoporosis! My grandwas was 4’6″ tall when she died b/c of it…thank you for talking about it!
Sounds like a pretty neat job! I need to drink more water and correct my posture. I am just asking for trouble 🙂
A few years ago I was diagnosed with osteopenia as well (I saw you mention this in a previous post) and I FREAKED out! (I guess it’s a side effect to having Crohn’s disease.) I started making sure I took a calcium supplement everyday and actually managed to improve my condition slightly. I actually just ordered the ones you take to try– they’re chocolate, right? Sign me up!!!
I love that drinking water makes me pee too. I seriously have to get up like twice an hour!
I LOVE your glass for work! I hope they ship to the UK!
thanks for the water reminder…i’ve been slacking lately!
I feel ya! I’m a paralegal and I’m glued to my chair all day everyday! I set ‘tasks’ on outlook to remind me to ‘get up!’ every hour! Bathroom trips help too! Living in AZ we must drink a toooooon of water just to not crack open it’s so dry. And about our bones, I heard we ladies only have until we are 30 to build our bones for the rest of our lives…Eeeek!!
The broccoli slaw looks soooo good, is it home made? May i please get the recipe??
I slouch all the time so I get frequent headaches. I try to stand more often, but don’t walk around as much in the day as I like.
Were you able to read the nominations?
Unfortunately no. 🙁
I slouch a lot… I should probably fix this now! Ahhh!!!!
Haha, you are so cute. Loved the pics. I’ve got ridiculous good posture, but could probably make it even better. I gotta use my core muscles when I walk and sit.
I’m sure the people I work with think I have a problem bc I walk to the bathroom so much. I can’t help it! I drink a lot of water…
I sit on a stability ball at work to keep my abs tight and my posture better. People make fun of me but I think it’s fun!!
Loving the shrimp salad..and that grapefruit really looks like a lemon. you are messing with me =P
I wish we had fruits to pick from trees or vines more available around here. =( you are truly blessed