It may not seem it, but standing all day is actually better than people who are sitting all day hunched over a computer. But it is also tiring and puts its own demands on your body and fitness levels and particularly your feet, legs, back and shoulders. You will also probably experience heel pain.
So if you're someone who stands on your feet all day - such as a hairdresser, teacher, retail worker or nurse - these tips are for YOU! If you're not in this category, read them anyway because they're very handy!
1. Be conscious of your posture and how you stand - belly button pulled towards your spine, shoulders back and down. Try and keep your weight even between both legs, rather than leaning to one side.
2. Make sure you focus on your pelvic floors - work your tummy muscles ALL DAY long! Think how strong your core will be! The way you do this is to pull your belly button in towards your spine, while pulling up your pelvic floor muscles - imagine that you are trying to stop yourself from passing wind and tighten the muscles around your back passage. Now imagine you are trying to stop yourself from weeing, or stop a tampon slipping out, and tighten those muscles. The feeling is a ‘squeeze and lift’. These are your pelvic floor muscles! No-one will even know, unless you are making funny faces! Don't hold your breath either, which is what we tend to do. Breathe in, out, in, out ... you know what to do here.
3. Do some stretches throughout the day - roll your shoulders back in circular movements and then forward; twist your body from your waist, side-to-side; shake your legs out; stretch your heels, calf muscles and your hamstrings - even just a simple rocking up and down from heel-to-toe helps.
4. Don't wear high heels! Not great for posture, not great for your feet, not great for your back, not great for your legs!
5. The best time to work out for you is before work but if you can't, because of time demands or the time of your shift, do it when you can. If you can do it beforehand, it helps warm-up and strengthen your muscles, to ensure you are in the best shape to make it through your day!
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