Dressage Versus Office

Published on: July 30, 2015December 13, 2017Author: PatriciaComment: 0

In the battle between ‘Dressage Versus Office’ my office is winning!

After all, in the quest for expertise they say it takes 10,000 hours of practice; that’s 5 years at 8 hours per working day sitting at a desk and I’ve been at it a lot longer than that.

I’ve just read an article by Nicola Smith of foreverfit.tv which essentially confirmed what I have known for many years. My office is killing me and utterly ruining my chances of developing my skills as a Dressage rider!

Nicola says that when you spend the average of 6+ hours sitting at your desk it is going to make you age faster, increasing your risk of diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis, metabolic damage and so much more. Our bodies simply are not designed to be sitting all day every day. This sedentary office based lifestyle affects our natural physical make up.

She advocates that you take control of your day and ensure you do what is necessary to change things by trying to keep active – Walk before work, ride before work, do a workout! Yeah, she’s a fitness guru! Use a chair that is going to help you sit correctly and research how to get your desk set up ergonomically, and my favourite … set a timer every 60 minutes and take a 2 minute break, stand and walk.

I particularly like Nicola’s references to how we look after the health of our horses, but not our own. You know this to be true after all, how many of you warm up your muscles before you start riding? Stretch out those calves, rotate those hips, warm up those arms! And … how many of you wouldn’t dream of getting your horse into a full workout without a warm up? Nicola’s view is that for those of us who are virtually chained to a desk all day, moving, standing and being more active not only improves your energy but also improves your posture and biomechanics that will, without doubt, help you become a more balanced rider.

Full Article Here :

There are a number of blog posts on this site, which will help those of us who spend too much time sitting. So if you want to redress the balance between Dressage versus office it is well worth a browse round.

For those of you who don’t know about the Psoas muscle, its influence on your seat and why your office life is hindering your dressage progress, take a look at the posts below. If, like me, you think your office is plotting against you, you might want to investigate what you can do about it.