‘While you are at work, it is advisable to take a short walk and stretch your legs every fifteen minutes or so, and if you are at home, engrossed in a gripping series, you should get up every half an hour to 45 minutes and move all your joints,’ explains Dr Šime Mijić, a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation, rheumatology subspecialist, permanent court expert witness and member of the American College of Rheumatology.
It is important, Dr Mijić points out, to change position from time to time and activate all the muscles – on the one hand to eliminate the risk of inflammation, stiffness and pain, and on the other to avoid deep vein thrombosis caused by sitting all day. For the same reason, Dr Mijić explains, passengers flying to the other side of the world are advised to walk around the plane from time to time during the flight. If you are planning to spend two days lying in front of your favourite screen, Dr Šime Mijić suggests paying attention to the food you plan to eat: instead of refined sugars, which are bad for the body at any time, not only now, choose fresh fruit and vegetable snacks. Eat fibre-rich food and add some fermented foods to the menu, such as yoghurt, kefir or even – beer.
Although a walk around the flat and a quick limber-up between two episodes is the best choice you can make in this situation, moving does not necessarily mean getting from point A to point B. We can move – even lying down. The only important thing, the physiatrist explains, is to change position from time to time and get all your muscles moving.
