If you’re like most people I know, you probably spent the last several days sitting at your kitchen table eating platefuls of turkey; or sitting on the couch watching hours of football. You sat in your car as you drove into work… and as you read this blog… you are most likely sitting at your desk.
During the last several months, there have been countless stories about how sitting too much at work is bad for you. The harm goes well beyond an increased waistline. According to leading American and European health experts, sitting for six hours or more each day increases your risk of obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and depression.
Scientists have dubbed this prevailing epidemic “sitting disease.” Global studies show, on average, we sit 7.7 hours a day, and some results estimate people sit up to 15 hours a day. Martha Grogan, a Cardiologist with the Mayo Clinic said, “For people who sit most of the day, their risk of heart attack is about the same as smoking.” Just as daunting, added gym-time may not be enough to reverse the negative effects of sitting disease. Who has time for MORE exercise, anyway?
So what’s a poor desk jockey to do? If you’re a possessed graphic designer trying to beat a deadline… a frantic copy writer tethered to your keyboard… a harried receptionist juggling a barrage of e-mails and phone calls or an account exec stuck on back to back to back conference calls… there are ways to “beat the seat.”
After reviewing several articles related to sitting disease, I’ve found five solutions that are as practical as they are effective. (To be continued…stop by tomorrow!)
