Tips to Avoid Sedentary Behaviour in the Workplace

by Spectrum Wellness

Many people have become interested in moving more during their work day since recent research has linked long periods of sitting to adverse health effects such as higher rates of obesity, metabolic syndrome and death from cardiovascular disease. In addition, metabolic syndrome and obesity increase your risk of having high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol levels. It may seem like there’s an easy remedy to this situation — getting up and walking more — but our busy lifestyles often get in the way. We sit in the car or on the train for a long commute to work, sit at our office in front of a computer most days (maybe even eating lunch here) and then sitting when we get home. Fortunately, there are other ways to spend less time sitting. Try these tips to cut time in your chair without turning your cube into a gym franchise.

Set an alarm
Set an alarm to remind yourself to get up at least once an hour to grab a drink, stretch, or otherwise engage your muscles. Email reminders are a great way to grab your attention to get up and move. Most email systems allow you to schedule reminders and alarms that pop up on your computer screen and even your phone. It’s important to get up every 30 to 60 minutes. Research shows that light activity for as little as 2 minutes every hour has significant health benefits.

Drink more water
Drinking water has many upsides, but one obvious side effect is you’ll have to hit the bathroom frequently. Try visiting one on the other side of the building or on a different floor to increase your time in motion. Bonus: Refill your water bottle from a water fountain that’s far away as well. Aim for at least eight glasses of clear, hydrating fluids every day. Go with water, flavoured water or even decaf coffee and tea.

Take meetings while walking and / or standing
Ask to do small meetings while walking instead of in the conference room. Walk with a small team instead of sitting down for an hour in the conference room. It may be easier to have difficult conversations this way, when you’re walking side by side rather than staring at each other.
A bar-height table in the office kitchen makes a great place for an informal get-together. Not every meeting requires a conference room, and most people are okay to stand for a few minutes.

Try a standing desk
A desk (or desk addition) that adjusts your screen and keyboard to standing height is less of an investment–and less of a strange sight–than a treadmill. Set a goal to move your chair out of the way twice a day or so, and try standing for a few minutes as you edit a document or send emails.
Even if you just stand while you talk on the phone, that’s an improvement over sitting all day long. Ask your company for a phone headset so you’re not tied to your desk by your phone cord. This allows you to stand and walk around as you talk.

Incorporate desk exercises
In the event that you just cannot get away from your desk, there are some exercises you can do at your desk just to move your body around more. There are a whole host of desk exercises that you can do at your desk. These will help get your heart rate elevated, promote better posture and burn more calories compared to sitting still.
Exercises could include some simple stretches, desk push ups, lunges and squats. You could even try a yoga routine. Don’t feel self-conscious about taking a few moments to exercise at your desk in front of colleagues. Remember, you are doing these for your own health – and that’s more important.
Also, try to walk to colleague’s desk’s more. If you need a quick answer to a question, it’s often as easy to walk to someone’s office as it is to email or call.

Irish employees spend 396 minutes sitting during an average day, stop the sitting epidemic in your office with these helpful pointers.