What’s the biggest obstacle to my running?
It’s not finding the time to run.
It’s not motivation, although that can be a challenge sometimes.
It’s not even my loathing for lycra or anything ‘figure hugging’.
It’s the hours I spend hunched over a laptop in my office every day.
Up against a deadline, losing track of time, come the end of the day and I feel like I’ve been welded into position. Calf muscles tight, Achilles tighter. My shoulders developing a magnetic attraction for my ears. Relax into a run? As if.
So how can you finish the working day in the right frame of mind and body to run? Here’s what works for me – I hope it helps you too.
Avoid the slump
Posture is fundamental to ChiRunning and getting the right alignment is crucial to avoid muscle strain and tension, while allowing energy to flow.
It’s not just sitting all day that does damage, but how we sit. Spend a day slumped into my chair, legs crossed, and come the evening I feel bent out of shape and drained of energy.
Sit with shoulders directly over hips, spine vertical and straight, lifting up through the crown of the head, and at the end of the day I can feel the difference.
For more on aligning your posture while sitting, see “Posture Enemy Number One” from David Stretanski of EnerChiFitness.
Get Moving
There’s been a lot written recently about the dangers of prolonged sitting. Some even claim too much can take years off your life.
Get up after being locked too long in one position, and I feel as mobile as cement, muscles tense and tight. While it may not be true, as some have suggested, that sitting for long periods shortens your hip flexors, it certainly leaves mine feeling distinctly crunchy.
I’ve experimented with a D-I-Y standing desk (balancing my laptop precariously on a pile of books on top of a filing cabinet, to be precise), but it seems that even this isn’t the complete answer. Standing for too long in one position may not be very much better for our bodies than sitting in one position. What we need is to get mobile.
I try to get up and get moving at least once an hour. A countdown timer’s a useful tool to remind me when I’ve been seated too long- I use iphone app Due to give me a gentle nudge that it’s time to get active.
Check in with your body
ChiRunning’s taught me to build a better mind-body connection. Regularly checking in with my body, noticing areas of tension, listening for complaints, allows me correct minor issues before they become major problems.
Over the years I’ve learned that how I treat my body when I’m not running has a huge impact on how I feel when I am running.
Focusing on my posture, keeping mobile, and listening to my body helps me get through the day job without too much damage, and is good practice for mindful running.
What helps you survive the working day?