Sit Less, Move More

Sitting for long periods of time can kill you. Unfortunately for many, this also includes people who exercise regularly.

According to health experts, there is a direct relationship between time spent sitting and risk of early mortality of any cause. In other words, as your total sitting time increases so does your risk of an early death. Sitting for long hours weakens muscles, creates poor circulation, limits the fresh blood and oxygen going to the brain, and overall increases the risk of developing heart disease.

With many sedentary jobs requiring computer time, phone time, and other activities that glue us to our desks, it’s no surprise that many of us spend almost nine hours a day sitting.

So, what can be done to lessen our risk of early mortality?

• Invest in a standing desk or a specialized treadmill-ready vertical desk.
• Invest in a wearable device, set a timer on your phone, or install an app that alerts you every 30 minutes to walk around the office for a few minutes.
• Stand up when talking on the phone and whenever possible, walk around the office
• Have standing or walking meetings
• Walk across the hall to talk to a co-worker instead of sending an email or talking on the phone
• Organize the layout of your office space in such a way that you have to stand up to reach for often used files, the telephone, or your printer, rather than having everything within easy reach.

Our bodies are designed to move and one hour of exercise is not enough. Making small changes here and there can very well be the difference our health needs.