Exercises at the desk to prevent deep vein thrombosis

If you’re still working from home during the cold pandemic, you’ve probably already adapted ways to keep healthy, I know I have.

Walking for healthy mind and body

I go for walks each day/evening, which are gentle on the body. At the beginning this was either alone or with a family member, but as the lockdown has eased, I’ve walked with a friend of mine who lives very close to me. Masks are a little restricting but a short walk with a friend can cure many concerns of the mind!

Day to day working from home hasn’t been too bad, it started off with working at the dining table, none of us knew how long it would go on for, but as time went on I moved the work into a spare room and set it up, gradually making it more and more office like. Like many though, although I’m lucky having the spare room and not having to use the dining table, share the internet with lots of children homeschooling and the sheer stress of trying to balance it all (which I know many parents have been through), the room is still not ideal and is cramped and I seem to be constantly sitting as the workload from covid just seems to get more and more and more. Risk assessments for each change in the rules, setting up teams and zoom meetings, working out how to train people less IT literate etc. However, as sitting working reminded me of being on a long haul flight, it also made me think about how I can help myself and take care of my own health. Particularly in relation to not getting static and risking a DVT.

Oddly from a health point of view I can see a tsunami of various health issues for the future for this country, and I’m no doctor or expert.

Trying to avoid the risk of DVT

I try to do my best in keeping active but like on a plane, I’ve tried to make sure I keep my legs and feet are active and keep moving to avoid getting a deep vein thrombosis from sitting for so long in one place. (Im not so sure that would be on everyone’s mind though).

Some of the exercises I have done include sitting on my desk chair, raising my feet onto my toes and squeezing my calf muscles (as you might do on a plane).

Seated heel raise

Stretching my legs. Walking up and downstairs to keep the heart pumping when getting drinks and visiting the toilet. Sometimes on phone calls I stand instead of sitting, and do toe raises.

Standing Heel and toe raises

I occasionally do leg raises, one leg at a time, or both legs together, pointing my toes and bringing my toes back towards my legs, really stretching out my calf and hamstrings.

Seated straight leg raise

I’ve had to attend day and week long training courses, where you just watch the webinar. With these I just stand then sit as if to sit on the chair, like a seat squat.