As you are reading this article, do you feel a dull ache in your lower back? Or are you feeling numbness in your legs or suffering from stiff neck and shoulders? Have you been sitting in the same position for hours in front of your work desk without realising that your body is calling for help?

Well, you are not alone.

According to a physiotherapist at the Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), you are part of a growing trend of patients who are developing sedentary-related musculoskeletal conditions.

A worrying trend of inadequate physical activities

Before the pandemic, there were an average of 3-4 cases a week that required physiotherapy at TTSH. However, ever since the pandemic, there have been approximately 10 cases each week due to the lack of physical activities. Singapore’s obesity rate has also increased to the highest level since 2020, according to the Ministry of Health’s survey published in Nov last year.

Due to remote working, it is rather common for these patients to sit at their desks from 9 am all the way till 6 pm without moving and after their work ends, they simply watch TV or scroll through social media to wind down. It’s no wonder that more people are suffering from body aches as human bodies are not designed to sit for long hours behind a desk or stay cooped up in an apartment for days. We require regular movements and good musculoskeletal health to reduce pain.

Many who passed away from Covid-19 also suffered from multiple comorbidities. Such conditions include obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. In a recent journal published, 511 people in the military who contracted Covid-19 were studied and it was found that obesity had a strong correlation with covid-19 severity. In another large study with 387,100 adults in the UK, those who were less physically active, smoke,d and were obese had a 4 times risk of getting Covid-19 as compared to those with healthier lifestyles. A Swedish study also found that cardiorespiratory exercises and lifestyle played important roles in preventing severe Covid-19. The above evidence points to the fact that with lifestyle changes such as regular exercises, risk factors for contracting severe diseases could be reduced and prevented.

How to exercise more

A common excuse that we often give for not exercising is that we have no time. Try to incorporate 15-20 minutes of exercise before or at the end of each workday and strive to cut out processed food from our diets. Be SMART about your exercise goals i.e. specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and set a time frame. Get back to the routine even after you missed a workout or two and look out for resources available online. It is recommended by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) that there should be at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercises or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercises along with strengthening exercises at least twice a week.

Here are some helpful resources that can get you started:

    1. HPB Exercise Playlists

    2. TTSG Get Active e-booklet

    3. Team Body Project Workouts (Options for Low Impact and Beginners)

    4. HasFit Workouts (Options for the Elderly)

    5. FiFlexy and Fit workouts (Options for shorter HIIT workouts)

Get started right away instead of sitting on it for another day!

How can you incorporate more workouts into your daily routine to become healthier and more active?