Did you know this?
5+ hours of sedentary sitting is the health equivalent of smoking a pack and a quarter of cigarettes. – Dr. David Agus
Swollen feet, weight gain, feeling sluggish – just a few of the side effects of sitting around that I feel. Yes, I my work is sedentary, but if I’m smart, I’ll find a way to make sure that I’m healthy and productive, right? No, I continue to sit and these last few days suffer from a pretty bad back ache!
I’m sharing this video and inforgraphics with you as a reminder to myself to stand more!
I’m saying this to myself and to you, dear reader:
Stand because sitting will kill you!
Some simple ideas:
- Take a walk to the water cooler – that way you hydrate yourself and move too.
- Wander around the office, your home every 45 minutes at least. Good for your mind too and might actually improve your creativity.
- Take the stairs more often
A little harder but still doable:
- Get yourself a height adjustable standing desk
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You’ll find more ideas here:
I really must wisen up!
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Today’s linky can be found here below and on Write Tribe and my co-host is Nikita Dudani of Strokes of Pen.
That was such an insightful infographic. While most of the days, I am up on my feet for a lot many hours, but there are days when my day is pretty relaxed and I end up sitting for long hours with my laptop. Must change that habit. Thanks for the nudge, Corinne! 🙂
Shilpa Garg recently posted..Stranger in the Park
Yes, the information is quite an eye opener, Shilpa. Getting off my behind 😛 more often now!
Corinne Rodrigues recently posted..Prayers For An Anxious Heart #AnythingGoesonSunday
:0 great reminder for me to exercise. ..I knew about the sitting thats why I place my pc on a high area so that I could stand while I type. …However, my body craves other movements. ..thanks for the reminder.
Oh yes, I wish I could brand this on my head and act on it, Sacha! 😉
Corinne Rodrigues recently posted..Prayers For An Anxious Heart #AnythingGoesonSunday
Oh God I’m doomed…I keep sitting for atleast 7 hours a day… I need to change that…Thanks for sharing this Corinne 🙂
nabanita recently posted..Beards, Sweaters & More… #MondayMusings
We don’t realize, Naba. You’re still young enough to make the change! I’m trying at oh-so-close to 50! 😉
Corinne Rodrigues recently posted..Prayers For An Anxious Heart #AnythingGoesonSunday
great post Corinne, people don’t realise the stress they are putting on there bodies doing normal stuff. Being bent over a mobile phone or tablet exerts 60 pounds of pressure on the spine
Mike Gardner is The Time Doctor recently posted..Perfectionists Can Get Things Done
Right you are, Mike. Thanks for the added information too! I’m consciously doing what I’ve suggested today.
Corinne Rodrigues recently posted..Prayers For An Anxious Heart #AnythingGoesonSunday
One of the reasons why I prefer standing in the train. Trying to compensate for 8 hours of sitting. Thank you for sharing the infographics, the percentage and numbers are quite scary.
rajlakshmi recently posted..The Whisper Advertisement !!
This is a wake up call! I need to move more. I don’t know why, but commentluv never allows my blog address – sad.
Lots of great tips here! I think many people need to be reminded how important walking about is. It is so easy to just get on with your work sitting down and forget to have a wander about.
Bek Dillydrops recently posted..Dairy and Egg Free Carbonara Recipe
What terrific information Corinne! I knew it wasn’t that healthy, but I had no idea of how bad until you break it down like this. I will now be setting a time to get up every single hour! That’s just unbelievable!
Rena McDaniel recently posted..LIVING LA VIDA LOCO
I write and spend the day at the computer and worry about the effects too. I’m sure I never sit for more than an hour though because of my small bladder and major habit of drinking water. Although I’m sure sitting isn’t healthy I sometimes laugh at all of this. I had a great aunt who lived to 94 and never got out of her chair her whole life unless it was practically on fire and have a 95 year old aunt still living who has always been the same!
Kay Dougherty recently posted..How aging, reckless blondes learn to scuba dive
I actually started using a perch on one of the cat trees my father built as a standing desk. The height is perfect, my laptop fits exactly, and the cats rarely use that spot these days. My father was amused. There is no room for anything except my computer, but then I just walk over to where I put my bottle of water or whatever and have gotten that much more movement into my day.
Darla M Sands recently posted..Five Photos, Five Stories Challenge – Day Four…
I’ve had a bad back (scoliosis and a sedentary job) for years. In the past few months my employer is starting to buy desks that can be moved up and down. What a great thing it has been, but some days I even forget to utilize the standing feature. I have to remind myself to move every hour, too. You’d think my back would remind me but, even now, it’s aching and I’m sitting. Thank you for the reminder! I’m going to move around now.
Alana recently posted..Aging in Place
Hi Corinne – great info here. I do try to get up after every couple hours and take a walk. And will do moreso now after reading this article. The one place where it seems like we have to sit for 20 hours at a time (and I’ve seen people do it) is on airplanes. In the US baseball games by the way, there’s an interesting tradition called the 7th inning stretch where the whole stadium stands up and stretches after watching the first 7 rounds of the game.
Totally agree with you there! Thank you for reminding.
Around 3 years ago, I had severe back issues. My doctor advised me to do one thing – get up after sitting 20 mins. Nothing less and not more at all. Sitting does kill people and I would have gone under the knife if I hadn’t followed the advise. So, I am with you here!
Parul recently posted..#MicroblogMondays – Moon Watching
Very useful information corinne ! I also noted that sitting for long gives me swollen feet and sometimes even backache.. so I keep moving around in the office to drink water, or deliberately stand near the window and admire the lawn…. thanks for sharing !
G Angela recently posted..HAPPY FRIENDSHIP DAY!
Excellent advice! I am guilty of this (damn computer!) and I used to smoke as well (not for years now). Time to get off my ass, for sure. One tends to lose track of time while online. Thanks for the reminder, Corinne!
Debbie D. recently posted..FORTY-TWO – WHO KNEW? HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US!
Thanks for that very timely and much-needed nudge, Corinne! Guilty as charged on this one, since for the past 6 weeks, !as I am recuperating from a major surgery) I have been sitting most of the time and feel, I ought to be up and about, more often! Normally, though, I am ‘blessed’ with restless feet, so you’ll find me mostly on my feet throughout the day, so much so, that by evening, I usually end up very tired and need to put my feet up 🙂 Long flights are nightmares, as you can imagine!
An informative post, Corinne. I live in a two-storey building and have to go up and down by stairs, my only exercise 🙂 I do spend a lot of time sitting in front of my laptop, must get up and walk around every hour. Thanks for sharing this helpful post.
Great advice! Up to a year ago, as a teacher, I was actually standing for much of the day.Now, I am guilty as charged, and sit far too much. I just started using the Pomodoro technique after reading one of Mike Gardner’s posts and will now add standing to what I do for the 5 minute break–though now I’m going to try lengthening it to 8 minute! Excellent video and infographic. Going to share on Facebook and Twitter!