Avoid sitting
Sitting too long is a real danger. This position is the embodiment of our sedentary society.
In the long term, we talk about “sitting position diseases”, among which we find cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, certain cancers (colon, endometrium, etc.), spinal pathologies and venous diseases. People who work behind a desk are the first victims.
According to a study published by the American Cancer Society, sitting for more than 6 hours a day instead of 3 hours increases the risk of premature death by 37% for women and 17% for men. These numbers are chilling, so get up!
Here are some strategies to address this:
- Get up every 90 minutes. While some people go for a cigarette break, take the opportunity to go and have a glass of water, a tea, stretch your legs or go see a colleague at the end of the corridor. A few minutes will be enough to restart your blood circulation, engage certain muscles and relax others.
- Move while on the phone. As some calls can last several minutes, get into the habit of getting up to talk.
- Do some gym in your office. All you need is a rubber band stored in a drawer that you can use twice a day to do some muscle strengthening or stretching exercises. It can also be a large book that will serve as a “step”, on which you can go up and down twenty times whenever you need a moment of reflection.
- Replace your chair with a “chair ball”. Very comfortable and designed for sitting, its slight instability facilitates the contraction of the deep muscles, the most important ones. You can also use it to make small movements with your arms throughout the day.
- Drink plenty of water. The effects are multiple. Our body is composed of 60 to 70% of water, and after oxygen, it is the most important element for life. Water is essential for all vital processes. Drinking a lot is therefore essential as part of a healthy lifestyle, and it will make you want to go to the toilet often, another good way to leave this instrument of torture that is your office chair…
Get up and walk !
