The 411 On Sitting Disease
Chances are you are reading this information from the confines of your office chair. If you are like most computer users you have been sitting there awhile. Today it is our goal to explain that the price of sitting is too much! Let us start with some facts.
Some Interesting Facts:
~Excessive
sitting impacts our body’s metabolic system: “Today, our bodies are
breaking down from obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer,
depression and the cascade of health ills and everyday malaise that come
from what scientists have named sitting disease.” ~ James Levine, MD, PhD
~Sitting six hours a day increases your risk of death by 40% over someone who sits less than three hours.
~Sedentary lifestyles increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. "For people who sit most of the day, their risk of heart attack is about the same as smoking." ~Martha Grogan, Cardiologist, Mayo Clinic
~Global studies show, on average, we sit 7.7 hours a day, and some results estimate people sit up to 15 hours a day.
~ A study from Ergotron 2013 state "Nearly 70 percent of full-time American workers hate sitting, yet 86 percent are required to do it all day, every day."
How to Combat Sitting Disease:
~The bottom line: You are meant to move!
~ The obvious remedy to sitting disease is to do the opposite, stand!
~Standing is like walking: it increases energy, burns extra calories, tones muscles, improves posture, increases blood flow and ramps us metabolism
~Here are 4 easy ways to incorporate more standing in to your workday!
1. Walk more at work: Park your car farther away from your building;
use stairs not elevators; take a long route to the restroom or mail
room.
2. While computing, set a timer to remind you to stand up and stretch
every half hour; take this time to pick-up and clean your work area.
3.Stand up when you talk on the phone.
4. Don’t send emails if the recipient is near; walk over and talk to him or her.
As an employer or corporation what can I do to help?
~ Create a Stand Up for Your Health policy or initiative
~ Provide at desk solutions for standing and sitting
~ Encourage employees to get up every hour for a couple of minutes
Examples of Workplace Solutions:
1. Provide an Alternative Form of Seating:
The Zenergy Ball Chair provides movement that not only helps you sit comfortably, but may also help you concentrate and support better posture and balance. This movement helps keep your mind open, while keeping your body actively engaged.
The use of a stool and a high desk allows an employee to either stand or sit.
When choosing to sit and added benefit of the stool height is it forces the user to stand up to grab something more than an arms reach away, instead of rolling towards it in the chair. Stools also available without casters.
2. Choose a Desk Alternative:
Sit to Stand monitor arms can be added to any desk and provide employees with both options while providing you with a cost effective change!
Electric tables are all the craze in the "Combat Sitting Disease" world!
The benefit of this solution is that all the contents of your desk are moving with you as you sit or stand rather than just your computer and keyboard!
If you have any questions about these items or other solutions we suggest!
Please feel free to contact us at 509-456-6500
Resources:
Ergotron Just Stand Survey and Index Report- www.juststand.org
How to Combat Sitting, A Workplace Health Crisis - wellness.nifs.org/blog
Do You have Sitting Disease? -www.webmd.com/do-you-have-sitting-disease
