Many of us believe that because of our 9-5 we have no choice but to sit all day. Here are a few simple things that we can do to avoid sitting that little bit less

Whether it’s laziness, not knowing any better or being bound to a computer to earn a living, I can assure you that a few healthy habit changes now, will better protect you from shelling out on prescription medicines, surgery and no longer being able to do what you want to do later in life. We’ve become so accustomed to sitting in chairs that we fail to realise just how detrimental they may be to us.

Extended sitting actively promotes several chronic diseases rampant today. Some of which include, Type 2 Diabetes, Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease.

There have been studies that show, those who live in agrarian villages (farming villages) sit for an average of about 3 hours a day, whilst most office workers (office and home) sit for 13-15 hours a day.

So, let’s help counteract the issue of the adverse effects of prolonged sitting. Get moving. Avoid sitting for more than 3 hours at a time. Any type of movement, is good movement, body weight being the most effective place to start across any fitness level. Exercise like yoga, Pilates and The Robards Method (TRM) are all great examples of how you can replicate the movement and physical activity that we used to get for thousands of years. We forget how much simply carrying our bodyweight on our legs can kick us into ‘activity’ from ‘inactivity’

Here are a few habits that you can implement right away:

  • Stand up at the desk whenever you answer or make a phone call;
  • Have a small glass of water at your desk that is always full. This will help to achieve at least a minimum of 10 mins standing every hour;
  • Implement walking meetings – replace the coffee and notebook for a walk and use your phone as a dictaphone if note taking is required;
  • Track your steps. Aim to get 10,000 steps a day on top of your general exercise. Park a little further from work, take the stairs or go for a walk at lunch;
  • Stand-up desk converter: These extensions are relatively cheap, can be placed atop your existing desk and can be switched from sitting to standing in a matter of seconds.