Social, technological and economic changes have forced many people to sit more on the chair. Most of the people spend an average of 15.5 hours sitting each day using a computer, watching TV or playing video games.
According to some health studies, prolonged sitting is not healthy practice and it can even prove potentially deadly. It can affect our health in the following way:
Prolonged sitting can lead to premature death:
In Australia, a study was conducted among 220,000 residents of New South Wales. It was found that the adults who sat for more than 8 hours in a day were 15% more likely to die than those who sat for less than 4 hours a day.
Prolonged sitting can be linked to cancer:
According to report presented by American Institute for Cancer Research in 2011, the physical inactivity or protracted sitting has been contributing in 43,000 cases of colon cancer and 49,000 cases of breast cancer.
Watching TV for long time can lead to risk of heart attack:
According to research done in Australia on 8,800 adults, revealed that watching TV each hour daily increased the risk of death from cancer by 9% and risk of heart related death by 18%.
These studies could be enough to convince anyone that they should not sit.
But what should we do if our job is to be on disk for hours daily? Here are some tips to reduce sitting time during work:
Stand whenever you can:
If possible use standing desk. If you are using phone, stand while using it. You can read your emails while standing. You can do any activity while standing, if it is not linked to your desk.
Walk whenever you can:
You should walk to your colleague’s desk instead of using phone line. Always use stairs instead of elevator. Have your lunch outside the office.
Exercise whenever possible:
During break time, try desk pushups. If you are able, use a treadmill desk. Between different tasks, do simple stretching.
Use simple tools to remind you stand:
Use alarm clock to remind you stand up every 30 minutes. Using small glass can motivate you to walk to water source more often. During break time, you can use your camera to walk and take photos.
Experts advise that we should stand, move and take breaks for two hours out of eight hours and ideally four hours out of eight hours.
