Are Your Spending Too Much Time Sitting in Your Office Chair?
You're probably a lot more time sitting in your office chair than you'd like to. Or, that's healthy. In fact, research shows that more than one-third of people spend more than 10 hours a day sitting. That's close to half your life sitting in an office chair. All this sitting is terrible for your back, weight, and overall health. In fact, even if you exercise regularly – say 4-5 times per week for an hour – it doesn't make up for all those hours spent seated. Human bodies were simply not designed for so much sedentary activity.
How to get moving
The best thing you can do to counteract all the negative consequences of sitting is to get moving – and not just once a day for thirty minutes or an hour. Researchers say the best thing to do is incorporate many small periods of movement into your workday. Here are some tips for getting your blood flowing.
Take mini-breaks, for one to three minutes, every hour. Stand up, jog in place, do a few jumping jacks, wiggle and dance, march in place.
Instead of a traditional office chair, switch to an exercise ball. The ball-type chair encourages gentle movement throughout the day and also improves your core muscles and balance.
Stand up whenever you can. Make a habit of talking on the phone while standing. Thinking about switching to a sit/stand desk. These allow you to change your desk height at the push of a button.
Stretch, at least every thirty minutes. Shrug your shoulders. Raise your arms in the air. There are software programs you can get that will remind you to stretch and move at timed intervals so you don't forget.
Move your legs while sitting in your chair. Do calf raises. Tap your feet. Shake your legs up and down.
Switch to a treadmill workstation. It may sound crazy but it actually is possible to work on a computer (or talk on the telephone) while walking slowly on a treadmill. Doing this you can walk 5 or more miles per day and burn 500 plus calories per day. What a way to multitask!
Whether you switch to a standing desk or treadmill workstation, or simply make a point of getting up and moving at regular intervals throughout the day, it is very important that you get moving. A sedentary lifestyle is one of the most detrimental things for your health – worse than being overweight and perhaps even worse than smoking.
How to get moving
The best thing you can do to counteract all the negative consequences of sitting is to get moving – and not just once a day for thirty minutes or an hour. Researchers say the best thing to do is incorporate many small periods of movement into your workday. Here are some tips for getting your blood flowing.
Take mini-breaks, for one to three minutes, every hour. Stand up, jog in place, do a few jumping jacks, wiggle and dance, march in place.
Instead of a traditional office chair, switch to an exercise ball. The ball-type chair encourages gentle movement throughout the day and also improves your core muscles and balance.
Stand up whenever you can. Make a habit of talking on the phone while standing. Thinking about switching to a sit/stand desk. These allow you to change your desk height at the push of a button.
Stretch, at least every thirty minutes. Shrug your shoulders. Raise your arms in the air. There are software programs you can get that will remind you to stretch and move at timed intervals so you don't forget.
Move your legs while sitting in your chair. Do calf raises. Tap your feet. Shake your legs up and down.
Switch to a treadmill workstation. It may sound crazy but it actually is possible to work on a computer (or talk on the telephone) while walking slowly on a treadmill. Doing this you can walk 5 or more miles per day and burn 500 plus calories per day. What a way to multitask!
Whether you switch to a standing desk or treadmill workstation, or simply make a point of getting up and moving at regular intervals throughout the day, it is very important that you get moving. A sedentary lifestyle is one of the most detrimental things for your health – worse than being overweight and perhaps even worse than smoking.
