Anyone who works a business job will tell you the amount of time they spend sitting at their desk everyday. Often viewed as mandatory, people are unaware of the health risks that sitting at work all day poses on a person.
Weight gain, increased blood sugar levels, and increased heart disease are all things that come into play if you spend your day sitting at work. There are a few alternatives to get around this though and to keep your body as healthy as you possibly can. Here are some ways to counter the health risks of sitting at work all day.
Stand-Sit Desks
One of the best ways to counter all of the sitting you do at work is to instead get yourself a desk where you stand. Standing helps to eliminate all of those health issues and also does things such as improve your mood and lessen your stress. Some people worry if they get a standing desk that they will be stuck standing for a whole day. The experts at https://ezshopper.co.uk/category/furniture/standing-height-adjustable-desks/ state that you don’t have to worry as standing desks have adjustable heights and can even be lowered to the point of sitting. This means that you can use the standing desk for as long as you want, and then when you are tired and want a break, you can lower the desk and sit down. It is a great alternative to the regular desk as it gives you the option of how you would like to work. Get yourself a stand-sit desk and counter the health risks that sitting all day poses.
Take Short Breaks Every 30 Minutes
If you are at a job where you have no choice but to sit down, you should look to take small breaks here and there to get up and walk around. Your work won’t mind you doing this as long as your breaks aren’t too long and you get your work done. What are the benefits of doing this? Your muscles generally tend to stiffen up if you sit down for too long in one position. By getting up every thirty minutes and walking, you keep your muscles nice and loose. This is good for the overall health of your muscles as they remain active.
Take the Stairs
Another great way to undo all the damage that sitting at your desk will bring is by taking the stairs when you arrive to work. It will allow you to get some cardio and exercise in before and after the workday ends and will give your muscles time to work. This might be unrealistic if you work in a skyscraper on the 20th floor, however, you can come up with an alternative. Take the stairs up the first few floors and then take an elevator from there. Anything you can do to get your body active before you hit the chair is going to have great benefits to your health.
Walk Around While On the Phone
Do you spend a lot of your business day on the phone? Try to take the call to your cell phone and pace around the room or in a space. It will allow you to get some steps in while you are getting your work done. As long as you aren’t out of breath or exhausted, your call will not be affected in any way.
A Gym Membership
This is a solution that is outside of work, however, it is still one that you might want to consider. All of the above tips might be great for some people, but you might not be happy with them. An alternative would be to look to reverse all of the damage outside of the office at the gym. Get yourself a membership to a local gym and try to visit it when your workday is done. If you can build this into a habit, you will be doing better than the people who stand at work. When it comes to exercise, nothing can beat a good session at the gym.
Healthy Eating
The last tip to counter the health risks of sitting at work all day is to watch what you are eating. If you sit down, you are not burning any calories, therefore what you eat throughout the day matters that much more. Take a look at your diet and ensure that your calories are within your daily limit and that you aren’t eating too much junk food.
All of these are great ways to counter the health risks of sitting at work all day. Find some that work for you and try to apply them to your daily life. Once you do these things, your body will definitely thank you.