More Reasons Why You Should Stand at Work
The Dangers of Sitting
Not too long ago we posted about the dangers of sitting too much:
- sitting more than 6+ hours a day increases risk of death up to 40%…even if you exercise!!
- obese people tend to sit between 2 and 3 hours more than thinner folks {obesity has doubled 20 years…the same years that internet and gaming exploded}
- chewing gum burns more calories than sitting
- people who sit for work have twice the rate of cardiovascular disease than those who stand for work
In addition to these findings, an Australian study recently found that:
A sedentary lifestyle, long believed to contribute to chronic conditions such as heart disease, can increase the risk of colon cancer, according to a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
This begs the question, what exactly is sedentary? Fortunately a definition was supplied- a sedentary lifestyle is one in which you expend very little energy. Sitting definitely meets that definition. As such, the study concluded:
Subjects who spent 10 or more years in sedentary jobs had twice the risk of colon cancer and a 44% increased risk of rectal cancer, compared with those who never held a sedentary job. The association was independent of recreational physical activity. Occupations requiring heavy physical activity were associated with a 44% reduced risk of colon cancer compared with light-activity work.
How Can We Reduce Our Sitting Time?
So, how are we to cope? The first report tells us that even if we exercise, too much sitting is dangerous for our health and can even lead to earlier death. This new study shows us links between sedentary lifestyles and various types of colon cancer. It almost seems as if we desk workers are doomed to premature death, or colon cancer at the very least.
I think a more helpful approach to take here is to look at ways to eliminate excessive sitting. You have a desk job like most people. In addition to that work, you may spend an hour or two {or more?} online at home catching up on email, Facebook, and the like. That’s not even counting TV and movies. That’s a lot of sitting. You may want to cut back your personal computer time or your media time. Some {wise} parents monitor their kids’ “screen time”- maybe you should self-monitor your own for your own health.
As for work, there are actually more options than you think. Besides taking walking and stretch breaks, you might seriously consider an adjustable height desk, which literally raises and lowers the work surface so you can sit or stand to work! These desks are seriously brilliant- no one wants to sit all day anyway. Throw in back aches, health concerns, fear of colon cancer, as well as collaborative work from time to time, and there’s no reason not to consider such a versatile desk.
Sitting too much can lead to serious health issues. Adjustable height desks allow workers to split their time between sitting and standing.