You’ve probably seen all the news reports and read the paper about how bad sitting all day at work is for you?
But is it really that bad?
Short answer YES!
Let’s break it down, you wake up, sit down to have breakfast, make your way to work probably sitting in a car/ train or bus, then sit at work, even have lunch sitting down, then travel home and sit on the couch. So all in all we are looking at 12-15hours of sitting, every day!
The human body was made to move constantly throughout the day, and you sit for more than half of it, and lie down for 6-8hours, making you sedentary for approximately 20 hours a day.
Prolonged sitting has been linked to numerous chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. A person who sits all day may find weight gain to be an issue. This is because the body slows down in a seated/ resting position, so does metabolism, so calories are burnt at a far slower rate.
But how do I stop sitting all day?
We have to be realistic as most people work at a desk and unless you’re going to change your career path it’s difficult to change your seating habits but we have a few tips that will hopefully get you more active.
- Keep track of how long you sit each day, this total might surprise you.
- Ask your work for a standing desk, recent research has indicated standing has far more favourable metabolic effects than sitting
- Commence a walking program start with walking 20mins before breakfast, at lunch and after dinner. Build this into your routine then increase the speed, distance and time that you walk
- Start an exercise program The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends 150minutes of physical exercises a week, combine this with a walking program and before you know it you will be feeling better, losing weight and doing more than 150minutes.
- At work take regular breaks to stand and walk around, I’m sure you might even notice your productivity improve
- When watching tv at night, get up during the ad breaks and stand just to break the cycle of constant sitting after work
