Get Up and Get Moving

This post is being written with a lot of people in mind, including my husband.  He has a 45-60 minute commute to work, he sits at a desk and in meetings for 9 hours, drives 45-60 minutes home, and then sits on the couch or at the computer for the rest of the evening.  If he did the standard 30-60 minutes of exercise that is expected, he’s still sitting way too much.  Researchers are beginning to suspect that even if you engage in daily exercise, it may not be enough to counteract the effects of sitting too much the rest of the day.   People probably assume that if they are participating in 30 to 60 minutes of daily  physical activity, they are doing what they need to do for their health.  And while exercise is extremely important and has numerous positive health benefits, there are negative health consequences associated with prolonged sitting.
A recent study showed that people who reported more than 23 hours a week of sedentary activity that exercised daily had a 64 percent greater risk of dying from heart disease than those who reported less than 11 hours a week of sedentary activity.  Sedentary people have more dangerous levels of cholesterol, blood sugar, triglycerides and even a higher waist size which increases the risk of diabetes and a number of health problems.
People who sit most of the day are not contracting their muscles as much.   The muscles in your legs and back are some of your biggest muscles and because the major muscles aren’t moving, metabolism slows down.  There is also a big calorie burning difference from a person that stands all day compared with one that sits all day.  A person who stands for their job can burn an average of 1,500 calories at work, however, if a person sits all day, you only burn 1,000 calories.  This is why people gain an average of 16 pounds within 8 months of starting a desk job according to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Here are a few tips for being more active in you have a sedentary job:

1. Park your car at the end of the lot.
2. Set an alarm on your phone to get up every hour and move.
3. Every time you have to get up and go, head to the farthest bathroom possible.
4. Pace the room every time you get a phone call.
5. If possible, sit on an exercise stability ball.
6. Always take the stairs instead of the elevator.
7. Instead of emailing your coworker, walk over to their desk.
8. Walk on your lunch break…this does not replace your daily exercise.
9. For simple stretches to do at your desk, check out: http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/work_stretches/Work_Stretches_Chest_Elevation.php#slidetop
10. If you enjoy reading, check out Instant Recess: Building a Fit Nation 10 Minutes at a Time, by Doctor Toni Yancey.  It’s a guide to integrating activity into the corporate boardroom, school classroom and even at sporting events.
11. Have you seen these treadmill desks?  They are pricey, however, you can even build one yourself.