You sit on the train on the way to work and then sit in the office for 8 hours so you can relax on the sofa at home after work. You already know: We sit too much and that is anything but good for our bodies. But what can you do about it? We give you 5 helpful tips.
“Sitting is the new smoking” – this is the name of the dramatic headline that spits out endlessly articles, studies, and even a book with the same title in a web search. The search results have something in common: They explain that by sitting for long periods of time we expose our bodies to an extreme situation, which has fatal consequences. And as hyped as it sounds – the expression ‘fatal’ is really not an exaggeration in this context.
In addition to the well-known consequences such as neck and back pain, studies show that long periods of sitting can lead to diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. There are also current assumptions that prolonged sitting could even lead to cancer, due to the resulting sluggishness of the immune system and increased levels of inflammatory substances in the blood. Every hour we sit shortens our life by 22 minutes.
But be careful: You don’t have to panic, pack your laptop, put your resignation on the boss’s table and look for a job as a fitness instructor. You can preventively counteract the negative consequences of long-term sitting.
How? Here are a few suggestions:
The stairs are your friend
And the elevator, on the other hand, is your enemy. Of course, this only applies if you have no physical impairments that bind you to the lift. If this is not the case: Take the stairs to the office today. A US study found that your body oxygen uptake improves by 17% if you climb 200 stairs twice a day, five days a week. So climbing stairs is an absolute fitness booster. This can not only be used in the morning on the way to the office but is also recommended for the way to the meeting, the lunch break, or the search for the desk of work colleagues.
Visit your work colleagues
This point goes hand-in-hand with the previous one. Instead of informing your colleagues of all concerns by email, why not pay them a personal visit? This not only provides advantages for your fitness but also promotes exchange within the team.
Do you work from home? You don’t have to stop! Interrupt your sitting position by cleaning the dusty corner during your breaks, which has been annoying for a year. Or have you already brought the post in, for example? If you don’t want to forego social contact with your colleagues through the home office, have a virtual coffee party and stroll comfortably through your own apartment during this time
You can also stimulate your blood circulation by just leaving your sitting position for brief concerns.
Complete tasks standing
The trend from the standing desk has been prevalent for a long time, and good reason. A regular change of position between sitting and standing has positive effects on your muscles and your circulation, the spine is also significantly relieved. Frequent physical underload, which results from long periods of sitting, triggers stress in many people, even unconsciously. This can be minimized by a standing desk, and the mental performance and concentration ability can be increased.
You do not have a standing desk and it is not in the budget? That doesn’t have to keep you from changing positions while you work. An office frame or the coffee kitchen can easily be converted into a base that can be used while standing. With a little creativity, nothing stands in the way of your dream of the standing desk. Do you prefer to sit anyway? Then at least it is important to do this correctly.
Adios, dear printer, and Co.
It is best to banish everyday objects to another room. Because this forces you gently, and perhaps even imperceptibly, to interrupt your sitting again and again. By moving the printer to the next room, for example, promotes an agile way of working. You can also move frequently used items such as folder trays to another room. If you have to make a lot of calls, the phone does not have to be banished to another room, but it can help to move it to the other end of the room. In this way, you gain a little movement with every ring.
Meetings also go with the movement
Why do meetings always take place seated? Avoid this and bring a breath of fresh air into your everyday work with a walking meeting. By moving around during the conversation with employees or business partners, stimulates your circulation and your brain is automatically supplied with better blood. Ergo: You will not only get fitter but also more efficient. Annoying meetings are therefore healthy through exercise and also over faster.