The technological advancements have left us with a job culture which is totally desk-bound, and more and more people are sitting themselves to death every single day. According to Dr. James Levine, ‘Sitting is more dangerous than smoking and kills more people than HIV every year.’
And if you think working out for an hour on a daily basis, will combat those ill-effects, it needs to change. Apart from exercise, the body needs constant moderate movement throughout the day. Here are some ways to negate those side-effects of sitting.
Take a walk break every hour: Technically, doctors suggest a walking break every 30 minutes, but let’s not overwhelm you, we’ll start with one hour for now. Go drink some water, speak to a colleague for a while, take a small stroll, or get up and simply stretch; just get your blood moving. If you tend to forget when to get up, set alarms on your phone. Eventually, it’ll come naturally.
Try the Sit-Stand mechanism: Sitting the entire day is harmful, and so is standing. Instead, try a Flexi desk with an adjustable height. You can switch between sitting and standing every once in a while.
Opt for Standing Meetings: If you need to have a group discussion, try a standing one. If you are speaking with just one colleague, even better. You can take a stroll while discussing your work. The same goes for phone calls, try walking around during the conversation if possible.
Do your own household chores: It is tempting to get the household chores done from someone, or just not doing it. But you should reconsider that. Most household chores, from cooking and cleaning to vacuuming have exercise hidden in them. For example, getting groceries gets you up and moving, vacuuming gets you to bend and stretch, and cleaning can give a good workout to those arms, which were simply typing something on a laptop for the entire day.
Take stairs, always: It is good for your body, you don’t need to wait for the lift and also, you will not have to listen to that lift music ever again. (the last being my favorite reason to take the stairs).
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