Eat, move, sleep

These are the three pillars to focus on for optimal health. Of these three, movement is the most likely to be neglected when working a job that requires a full day of computer use. As UX and product designers we must find ways to move and be active throughout the day, our well-being depends on it.

Movement and exercise increase happiness and reduce depression

Havard psychiatrist John Ratey's wisdom reinforces the point: "exercise balances neurotransmitters — along with the rest of the neurochemicals in the brain... keeping your brain in balance can change your life.”In Kelly McGonigal's book "The Joy of Movement: How exercise helps us find happiness, hope, connection, and courage" we learn that “Physical activity—as captured by an accelerometer—is correlated with a sense of purpose in life. Real-time tracking also shows that people are happier during moments when they are physically active than when they are sedentary. And on days when people are more active than their usual, they report greater satisfaction with their lives." The barrier to entry for experiencing the joys and benefits of movement are very low.

Actions you can take to reduce the negative effects of sitting

Any movement we do to get our heart rate up can induce feelings of purpose and happiness and help reduce the effects of sitting. Try some of the following movements for 5 to 10 minutes every hour to combat the effects of sitting.

• 10 burpees‍
  • Start in a Standing Position: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides.
  • Drop into a Squat: Bend your knees and lower your body into a squat position. Place your hands on the ground in front of you, just inside your feet.
  • Kick Your Feet Back: Jump your feet back to position yourself in a plank position, with your body forming a straight line from head to heels. Your hands should be directly under your shoulders.
  • Perform a Push-Up: Lower your chest to the ground by bending your elbows. Perform a push-up by pressing back up to the plank position. (Note: If you're a beginner, you can skip the push-up and just hold the plank position.)
  • Return to Squat Position: Jump your feet back towards your hands to return to the squat position.
  • Jump Up: From the squat position, jump up explosively into the air, reaching your arms overhead.
  • Land and Repeat: Land softly with your knees slightly bent and immediately go into the next burpee by repeating steps 2-6.

• Lunge and twist
  • Start in a Standing Position: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your sides.
  • Step Forward into a Lunge: Take a large step forward with your right foot. Lower your body until your right thigh is parallel to the ground and your left knee is just above the floor. Keep your upper body straight and your core engaged.
  • Twist Your Torso: With your arms outstretched in front of you or with your hands clasped together at your chest, twist your torso to the right. Engage your core muscles to facilitate the twist, and ensure your knees stay aligned and stable.
  • Return to Center: Untwist your torso back to the center position.
  • Return to Standing Position: Push off your right foot and bring your right leg back to the starting standing position.
  • Repeat on the Other Side: Step forward with your left foot and repeat the lunge and twist to the left side.
  • Alternate Sides: Continue alternating sides for the desired number of repetitions.

• Air squats
• Walking

Again Kelly states "Anything that keeps you moving and increases your heart rate is enough to trigger nature’s reward for not giving up. There’s no objective measure of performance you must achieve, no pace or distance you need to reach, that determines whether you experience an exercise-induced euphoria. You just have to do something that is moderately difficult for you and stick with it for at least twenty minutes. That’s because the runner’s high isn’t a running high. It’s a persistence high.

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