How to "undo" the damage computer-based work causes on your legs
Technology distorts body shape and causes cellulite
As we described in a previous article, office work and spending time on the computer at home is a major cause of body shape deterioration today: local fat deposits, cellulite and skin sagginess gradually yet steadily distort our physique every day.
However, there are simple ways with which this body shape "decay" can be reversed or even stopped, without sacrificing your career or throwing away your iPad at home.
The Freeze Protocol: stop computer work-related body shape deterioration in it’s tracks
The Freeze Protocol comprises small simple actions that aim to "undo" most of the negative effects our computer-based lifestyle inflicts on our bodies: fight glycation, boost collagen production, improve circulation, reduce local fat accumulation and reduce inflammation:
- If possible, take small 1-2 minute breaks every hour to walk and thereby restore circulation on your legs. This will also improve your productivity in the next hour, by boosting circulation in your brain.
- Try to have a 30' (or even 60') exercise session during your lunchtime. This will boost circulation, metabolism and collagen production, especially if the exercise includes 20' squat training on a whole body vibration machine, such as powerplate etc.
- If you are seriously chocoholic, this is the time to get your chocolate reward: for about 30' after the end an hour of vigorous exercise you can have some chocolate or cake (not the whole cake!) or similar food, without any of it reaching your bum (your hormonal environment immediately after exercise ensures that this does not happen)
- Always keep berries, "live" yoghurt, nuts (be easy on nuts!) and other healthy snacks in the work fridge, to avoid the temptation of visiting the crisp/chocolate vending machine. Berries support your collagen tissue and contain very few calories.
- Use stevia instead of sugar in your coffee or tea
- Avoid more than 2 caffeinated drinks a day but drink as much decaf coffee/tea/green tea as you like
- A lunch consisting of salad and grilled fish/chicken/lean meat or one based on pulses will keep you productive throughout your working day, provide you with the protein needed to maintain your collagen levels and ensure you do not take in more calories than you need.
- Oily fish will also help fight fat accumulation, provide you with valuable anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty fats and boost circulation in your body.
- Take 500-1000mg of the aminoacid carnosine a day to fight glycation caused by the reaction of sugar and proteins in your body (consult your health care professional first)
- Replace cola and lemonade with sparkling water which contains no sugar or excessive acids. The carbon dioxide contained in sparkling water is completely harmless - the problems with fizzy drinks is the acidity, the sugar and other chemicals, not the bubbles themselves!
- Try to partially or fully walk to and from work: this will boost your metabolism, help you burn a few extra calories and provide you with some necessary mechanical stimulation to help maintain your collagen levels and consequently your firmness
- Try to exercise in the morning before work or in the evening after work to undo the effects of work inactivity. Even if you have energy for 20' of exercise, this is far better than landing on the sofa and lettign your body down. Even 1-2 times a week is better than nothing.
- If you are too tired to do much exercise during the week, try to have double exercise sessions in the weekend when you have more energy.
- Have a quality anti-cellulite treatment every week. A good anti-cellulite treatment will help boost circulation and lymph drainage, stimulate collagen production, release local fat and initiate the early death (apoptosis) of fat cells, thereby acting on all causes of body shape decline.
Technology fights cellulite and body shape decline
In our previous article we have seen that technology causes cellulite. However, technology can also be used to reduce cellulite:
- Deep tissue radiofrequency (RF) is an ideal treatment for this purpose, as it stimulates fat release and fat cell apoptosis, results in huge circulation increase in the "cellulite tissues", stimulates collagen production, collagen cell proliferation and collagen tightening. However, superficial RF treatments, such as bipolar treatments, will not help much as they mainly act on the epidermis (superficial skin layer), so choosing the right kind of RF treatment is crucial.
- Ultrasound cavitation also helps with fat reduction, but does not have a significant effect on collagen or circulation. The stronger cavitation machines will offer good results, but the weaker ones are a waste of time, so do your research before spending any money.
- Electro-mesotherapy can also help by providing the skin with natural anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, glycation-fighting agents. However, the efficacy of electromesotherapy depends very much on the type, purity, concentration and number of different actives used for the treatment, so it makes sense to ask what actives are used for the treatment and at what concentration, before you commit to a course. Some great ingredients for this purpose include horse chestnut extract, centella asiatica extract, carnosine, vitamin C, vitamin A and caffeine among others.
- A good anti-cellulite cream, rich in the ingredients mentioned above (and many more - we use 30+ ingredients at our clinic) can help keep your collagen-rich tissues in good shape, maintain a good level of circulation and keep fat accumulation at bay. Today's technology means that a quality anti-cellulite cream can contain several natural active ingredients in high concentration for better results, faster.
- Strong, cellulite-specific massage can offer some good results with circulation, collagen production and fat/cellulite reduction, but it's efficacy is determined by the expertise of the massage therapist. However, superficial treatments, such as manual lymph drainage will not offer anything more than a temporary improvement in circulation though, as they do not act on the collagen cells (fibroblasts) or the fat cells (adipocytes)...
Not a miracle, but the only way
Barring quitting your job and becoming an exercise/diet freak, the Freeze Protocol is the best thing that can be done to keep your body young, smooth, slim and firm, while working hard and maintaining a home.
It is not a miracle but it comprises all the major steps you can take: increase activity levels and improve your diet during the working day and add to this effort by having regular "anti-office" treatments and applying anti-cellulite creams to prevent or undo the damage caused by sitting down and staring at a screen all day.
It will not work if you drink two bottles of wine on the weekend or if you don't do it. It is amazing how many people don’t do much exercise, do not properly follow a diet, do not regularly apply their creams or do not regular with their treatments, or they give up too early and then go on to complain that that said exercise/diet/treatment/creams do not work.
So the simple advice is "be patient" and "just do it": if you get organised and put the effort the Freeze Protocol will work and you will feel proud of your firmer, younger body and your increased energy levels and confidence.
And at the same time, you will also fight overweight, heart disease, diabetes and cancer, i.e. all the conditions known to be affected by poor diet, excess calorie intake and inactivity.
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