Do You Have Sitting Disease?
Posted on April 22, 2015
The average person sits on the commute to work, sits all morning at their desk, eats lunch sitting at their desk, sits during an afternoon meeting, sits on the commute back home and then sits on the couch watching TV at night because they are tired from sitting all day. Researcher, James Levine calls this “sitting disease” and contributes excessive sitting as the main cause of the increase in obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and depression. In fact his cites at least 24 different chronic diseases and conditions that are associated with sitting too much. The average American spends 7.7hours (55%) of their day seated. You can use this calculator to see how much you sit during the day and the health risk associated with it.
Furthermore, new studies are predicting that daily exercise might not be enough to counteract excessive sitting. Engaging in 30 to 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise is great but it doesn’t mean you should spend the remaining hours of your day stuck in your office chair. The solution is relatively simple: sit less, stand more and start it now. Here are some quick and easy tips that you can start doing today. to increase your health by moving more at work.
- Set a timer on your phone or computer to remind you to stand up and stretch every 30 – 60 minutes.
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Stand-up while talking on the phone.
- Walk over to speak to a co-worker instead of sending an email.
- Have standing or walking meetings.
- Park your car in the far end of the parking lot away from the entrance.
- Stand while reading paper documents or books.
None of these suggestions cost you or your employer any money and have been shown to increase work efficiency. The impact of movement, even small short bouts of activity can make a big difference. Moving more frequently throughout your workday combined with regular exercise will help combat the negative impacts of sitting. Following these easy steps should help you on your way to reducing your risk of sitting disease.
