Sitting down may be Killing you.... or not....

We got a call from Sky news a few days ago, who wanted to speak to an expert about the recent studies that link sitting down for pro-longed periods of time, with a whole range of health issues and an increase of death! 

Sounds serious, and it is really when you look some of the stats in the recent findings. 

We've done our best to break it down for you, and provide a few actionable ideas to help. 

I think most people in the modern world we live in know they sit down too much. On average, it's over 9 hours per day, which is no surprise really. 

It's tough though, because what are we supposed to do about it if you work in an office?

​We'll get to that, but first let's take a look at a few of the 'key' facts. 

Check out this infographic on Life Hacker

• People with sitting jobs have twice the rate of cardio disease as people with standing jobs. 
• As soon as you sit, calorie burn drops to 1 per minute. 
• Enzymes that help break down fat drop by 90%.
• After 2 hours your good cholesterol drops by 20% 

In addition to all of this, in my experience, people who sit for long periods of time have a much higher rate of postural complications, and injuries that just wouldn't be or would be much more manageable. 

Let's be sensible here

In my opinion, a lot of this makes for good headlines. There's been a wave of headlines about sitting becoming the new smoking, which is just plain stupid. 

Life has moved on. We don't all live on farms, have active jobs, or neither can walk to our place of work. More and more people work indoors on computers , and commute for a couple of hours per day. 

Having said that, the evidence, and good old fashioned common sense tells us we shouldn't ignore the impact all of this sitting down is having on our bodies. I just want to take the drama out of it. You won't start choking to death, or have a heart attack in the next few minutes by sitting down (hopefully). ​

So, what can you do about it? 

1. Quit your job and trade it in for something active which you enjoy! I'm being serious, I speak to people all the time who may not hate their current office job, but would much rather be doing something active that they love. Before you come up with the usual excuses that you can't do that. Take a look at someone who's already doing what you would love to do, if they did it, so can you! 
   
   If you're happy with your job and working at a desk, read on...
   
   
2. Get a Standing Desk. You can buy a decent standing desk for around £300, or you could even make one (check out youtube or pinterest for ideas). Get one which can be adjustable and switched from seated to standing easily so you can then alternate throughout the day. I personally have a standing desk and I find I have much more energy and am more productive when I'm standing. I also balance on my wobble board whilst working, but that may be one step too far for you....
   
   
3. Walking/Running Meetings. Wherever possible, get out of the office & have your meeting whilst walking through the park, or running alongside the thames. It breaks down barriers, keeps things flowing, and you'd be surprised how the dynamics change as your endorphins come rushing in.
   
   
4. 25/5. Work for 25 minutes, then get up and walk around and stretch for 5. This works on a few fronts, as not only does it help your body, it's also amazing for productivity. Focus hard for the 25 mins, don't get side tracked, you'd be amazed at how much you can achieve in this time. 
   
   
5. Book a Private Workout. Get a yoga instructor to come to your office once a week, or meet a personal trainer in your local park for a weekly boot camp session. By getting the team exercising together, you increase team spirit, productivity and loads of extra health benefits. 
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Final Word

Don't get carried away with all the hype out there, but definitely start thinking about how you can improve your situation. There are some serious implications of sitting down for too long, so take a look at your day and find ways to improve it. 

If you liked idea number 5, we can arrange a private session for you and your team. From Yoga, Pilates or Boot Camp. Check out our corporate page for more info, or get in touch by sending an email.

We would love to hear your ideas and thoughts, feel free to comment below.