I have one non-negotiable in my weekly routine: Monday morning movement. It could be as simple as a walk, a ten-minute Pilates flow, or a twenty-minute run - it doesn’t matter what it is, only that it happens. Every time I do, I feel sharper, more energised and oddly more optimistic about the week ahead. But the mornings I skip it? I notice immediately that I have stiffer hips, a sluggish focus, and a creeping sense that I’ve spent yet another day anchored to a chair.
Like most of us, I spend a large portion of my week sitting. Writing, editing, emailing, scrolling often without realising how little I’ve actually moved. It’s a modern reality that’s becoming increasingly worrying. Research has shown that prolonged sitting can raise the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and even premature death, regardless of how much you exercise at other times of day. One major 2016 study found that those who sit for more than eight hours a day with little physical activity face health risks comparable to those linked with smoking and obesity.
