Part 1: Sitting vs. Standing.

Why consider this standing business?

Many of us are guilty of a daily eight-hour relationship with our office chair. And it’s a hard habit to break. We’ve all seen fit balls, standing desks and ergonomic kneeling chairs come and go as office fads – but what’s so wrong with sitting?

Research in the last 10 years has looked deeper into the effects of prolonged sitting on our health – and it doesn’t look good. A recent study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine has linked sitting with a heightened risk of serious illness and premature death.

It has been suggested in an American study that 94% of women who were inactive and sat over six hours per day, were more likely to die during the time period studied (1993 to 2006), compared to those that sat less than three hours a day.

Men were 48% more likely to die than their standing counterparts (American Journal of Epidemiology 2010).

Prolonged sitting has been linked with:

• Cardiovascular disease.
• Obesity.
• Depression.
• Chronic kidney disease.
• Diabetes.

Cardiologist Martha Grogan has been quoted saying;

“For people who sit for most of the day, their risk of heart attack is about the same as smoking.”

Sick of staying sedentary?

Fortunately, there are ways to avoid the trap of immobility throughout the day.

Why not consider:

• Sit stand desks.
• Stand up meetings.
• Take phone calls standing.
• Using the stairs.
• Active lunch breaks.

The current recommendation is to halve the time you are sitting throughout the day – four hours sitting and four hours standing. Start by taking regular breaks and progress towards standing for two hours a day.

Talk to your company about utilising stand up work stations, stand up meetings and providing stair access to facilitate less sitting throughout the day.

The bottom line is to stay active and keep moving! It’s always possible to work exercise and activity into your daily routine.

If you’d like help with structuring an exercise routine into your schedule, don’t hesitate to get in touch so we can tailor an individual program to suit your particular needs.

*Keep an eye out for Part 2 of this article where Cara Peake will share tips on using a Stand Up Desk.*