Research have shown that you should start standing up at work for at least two hours a day or more.
This may actually turn out as a good news for lots of workers who have heard about the horrific negative effects of prolong siting-- and not knowing how to go about it.
Today, the average office worker sits for about 10 hours, first all those hours in front of the computer, plowing through e-mails, making calls or writing proposals — and eating lunch. And then all those hours of sitting in front of the TV or surfing the Web at home.
Medical researchers have long warned that prolonged sitting is dangerous, associated with a significantly higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, and depression, as well as muscle and joint problems. Some have gone on to say that the office chair is worse for your health than smoking and kills more people than HIV. Even working out vigorously before or after work may not compensate for extending sitting. But now, those researchers have come up with formal suggestions for how much time to sit and to stand that could dramatically change our work habits.
According to the expert statement released in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, We should begin to stand, move and take breaks for at least two out of eight hours at work. Then, we should gradually work up to spending at least half of your eight-hour work day in what researchers call these “light-intensity activities.”
Researchers have known about the link between inactivity and higher rates of sickness and mortality dating back to studies of bus drivers and office-based postal workers in the 1950s. And more recent observational studies comparing workers who sit for long periods against those who sit for fewer hours have found that sedentary workers have more than twice the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, a 13 percent increased risk of cancer and 17 percent increased risk of dying.
At the same time, with the rise of office work, the use of cars and buses rather than walking or bicycles, and the rise of leisure pursuits like TV and computer games, the world has become more sedentary. The World Health Organization estimates that 95 percent of the world’s adult population is inactive, failing to meet minimum recommendations for health of 30 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity five times a week.
It is quite better if we adjust our life style and try spending much time standing most especially the office workers that spent the whole day glued to their chair. Taking two hours out of our eight to nine hours of sitting at the office, just to stretch our legs would go a long way making us feel refreshed and healthy.
