Is sitting stealing your health?

We all sit at times throughout the day, how long do you actually spend sitting when you add it all up?

Many of us sit in work, while we drive, while we eat. Then when we get home we sit again to relax in front of the flat screen. If guilt sets in we’ll drive to the gym and sit on a machine push and pull some weights or maybe even sit on an exercise bike or rower. Then drive home for more sitting.

 

So what impact does sitting have on our health?

 

A study by Warren et al. 2010, found men who sit >23 hours per week had a 64% greater chance of dying of heart disease compared to those who sat for less than 11 hours. However, exercise did help to counteract that risk.

 

Helpful Tips

If you’re lucky enough to live in a place as beautiful as Glossop you have tons for great tail walks at your doorstep.

Standing/ Adjustable desks are great option, standing in work for 3 hours a day has been found to burn enough calories over a year to make you lose 3.5kg per year.

Micro breaks are a mini break form sitting and might be as short as walking 10 meters to the water cooler.

Walking meetings, these are growingly popular. Organise a business meeting walk with colleague. Sometimes the air, exercise and outdoors helps stimulate conversation and make your meeting more honest and flowing. It may not be perfect for every meeting but its defiantly worth trying.

You can book an ergonomics assessment from Glossop Physio to help minimise the damage from prolonged sitting or a Sports Massage to loosen of stiffness.

 

If you can’t get out for a walk and you want some light exercises to try at home to free yourself up after sitting heres a video of yoga sun salutation for beginners.

 

 

 

Yoga Sun Salutation for Beginners

 

 

 

 

 

Reference

 

Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010 May;42(5):879-85. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181c3aa7e

Sedentary behaviors increase risk of cardiovascular disease mortality in men. (2010) Med Sci Sports Exerc. 42(5):879-85.