Did you know that sitting for prolonged periods of time affects your health? Studies have shown that six hours of sitting or more per day can raise your risk of obesity, increased blood pressure, increased blood sugar, cardiovascular disease and colon cancer. Even if you’re getting regular exercise, sitting for hours at a time can have huge impacts on your health.
Nowadays, many of us have jobs that make us sedentary. We do most of our work sitting, often at a computer. While this type of work can’t be avoided, there are things you can do to get more active throughout the day.
Take Frequent Breaks
Short, frequent breaks can be just as beneficial as a longer length of exercise and is easier to find the time to complete. At least once per hour, take a few minutes to stretch or take a short walk. You’ll get those muscles moving and feel more energetic when you get back to work.
Mix It Up
Standing while you work is a simple way to decrease your sitting time. However, standing for prolonged periods can also cause problems, such as sore feet or back. Try alternating between sitting and standing while you work. Take a phone call while standing, or work in even more movement by pacing back and forth or doing calf raises (raising up onto your toes to work your calf muscles).
Get Face Time
Technology such as email and phones have made our lives easier but make us more sedentary in the process. Instead of sending an email or making a phone call to someone in the office, take a walk and have a face-to-face chat. You’ll be more active and you may get to know more people!
Watch TV
You don’t have to feel guilty about watching TV when you get home – just get active while doing it! If you have exercise equipment, such as a treadmill, place it in front of the TV and walk while you watch. If you don’t have any equipment, try doing push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks or jogging in place during the commercials. Challenge yourself to do as many reps as you can before your show starts.
