Are you sitting too much? Try standing while you do your work!
workzones member Joe Strandell standing while he works!
Studies show that chronic, prolonged sitting is bad for your health.
Modern life is, unfortunately, conducive to sitting; we sit to commute, we sit at computers, at meetings, at home, to eat. Most adults in North America sit for 9 to 10 hours a day!
When you sit for long periods of time, your circulation is constricted, your metabolism slows, your muscles stop, and tissue tightens; basically your engine is set to neutral.
Even if you exercise, a sedentary lifestyle is linked to health conditions that will ultimately shorten your life span. Working out for one hour a day but then sitting for the remainder is counter-productive.
Findings support the idea that strategies to increase the amount of time spent standing (or walking) rather than sitting may benefit both the heart and metabolism.
Fear not, co-workers, workzones has at least one solution to this workspace problem: a newly installed standing desk.
Try it out and let us know how you like it!
Other tips for breaking up periods of sitting:
- sneak regular movement breaks by going on errands, walking around, grabbing a snack
- walk and talk: when you take a phone call, stand up or take a stroll
- brainstorm and plan while standing up: use a whiteboard or flipchart instead of a pad of paper
- sit on an exercise ball, not a chair
If our lovely coffee machine doesn’t have you racing towards it every few hours, we also suggest setting an alarm to remind you to GET UP! Ergonomists recommend that sitting be broken up by periodic standing and moving throughout one’s day. Ideally, you should walk around for three minutes every half hour.
Go set those alerts now and we will see you on your next movement break!
