Many employees are resigning to the fate of spending close to nine hours on seats daily, and that's a big problem.
Meanwhile, this applies to office workers and the general workforce - a driver that travels a long distance. Some of these drivers even spend days on the road.
As you work from home, you'll probably be glued all day to your computer - participating in video conference calls, writing proposals, sketching out your plans for the next day, and sending and receiving mails.
Before you know it, you've spent a lot of time sitting. So what are the implications of all these on your health and productivity?
The answer and the solution are all in this piece.
Although standing for hours is way better than sitting, there's almost no way you can decide to stand all through the day in your office or home office.
So if you find yourself working in an environment that demands sitting for hours, you should be prepared to wage war against all the possible health conditions that come with it.
Take, for instance. You might be sitting comfortably as you read through this piece right now, but we bet you might fidget at least twice before you finish reading through. Why?
Sitting for too long affects your posterior, and that's your body system telling you it's not feeling great. In a nutshell, it might be very dangerous to your health.
Never forget your health is our priority here, and that's why we implore you to read through every line.
What's Wrong With Sitting for Too Long?
It's an undeniable fact - sitting for too long has been medically proven to overcharge your blood pressure and blood glucose level.
It can also break down your body system's metabolism and weaken your immune system.
The level at which the enzyme lipoprotein lipase work on fat reserves in your body will also start waning.
It can perforate your arteries and make way for diseases like stroke, diabetes, and heart disease.
Little wonder medical experts said it's as life-threatening as smoking. It's even believed in some quarters that smoking is not as dangerous as sitting.
We can't just fold our arms and expect help to come from nowhere. What do we need to do to stay safe?
Prevention, they say, is better than cure. You can only fortify yourself against the risk of contracting these deadly diseases when you're always active.
By being active, you're not always glued to your seat. Don't be static; move around!
As simple as standing and moving around your office sounds, that's another escape route you can use to free yourself from these health risks.
Weight Issues
Do you know that calorie-burning drops by 1% every minute you spend sitting?
Not only that, but enzymes that facilitate the breakdown of fats in our body also drop by 90%.
Now imagine the overall effect when you sit for almost eight hours. That's bad for your health.
When you sit all day watching TV or surfing the internet, you're more likely to become obese or have excessive fats when you sit for too long at work.
Even if you exercise before leaving for work, much improvement won't be recorded as the cycle of sitting for hours continues.
Hey, don't get us wrong here. We're not downplaying the importance of regular exercise here. Rather we acknowledge that it makes you live a healthy life.
But then, the benefits that come with regular exercise can only be full-blown when you complement your efforts by cutting the number of hours you spend sitting.
Diabetes
More like a supporting line to what we discussed above, a study by Diabetologia says that folks who sit for long hours daily have a very high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Let's explain in a layman's terms.
Sitting for too long alters both the body's metabolism and insulin resistance. Meanwhile, any abnormality in that regard can lead to diabetes.
The study further says that the mere fact that they exercise regularly will not bail them out. So you need to be very careful if your working space requires sitting for hours.
We suggest that you take regular breaks, and you need to be religious about it. You can also opt for standing meetings. After all, did anybody make the rule that we must always sit at meetings?
Your health is at stake here, so anything's worth the sacrifice and investments.
You can also walk around during your lunch break, and most importantly, when you get back home, you should reduce your TV time.
Don't worry; this will not rob you of time to spend with your family and friends - you can go for any less sedentary activity.
Heart Diseases
Medical practitioners suggest that folks who work for close to 10 or more hours on a seat daily are at the risk of stroke and heart attack.
Many companies understand this. They know it's a huge dent in the health of their employees to sit all through their working session and still sit during their lunch break.
That's why they take it upon themselves to stock their break rooms with comfy sofas, lying mats, etc. That's a nice initiative other firms should follow.
Employers, therefore, owe their workers the responsibility to prevent them from getting exposed to terminal diseases.
You need to be creative and innovative here. Just think of anything you like doing which won't affect your concentration at work.
You don't even have to wait for the break period before stretching your legs. You can walk around your office room every thirty minutes before returning to your seat.
That way, you're reducing the risk of heart disease, and that's your key to healthy living.
Back and Neck Pain
Do you know that sitting for too long also leads to neck and back pain?
Imagine getting home after a long day, and you couldn't even have a good sleep because of body pain. That's a turn-off point, and it'll surely affect your productivity the next day.
Depending on the number of hours you spend sitting, an accumulated load of pressure is channeled to your muscle discs and spinal cord.
And the last straw that'll break the camel's back is if your workplace uses regular chairs instead of ergonomic chairs.
With the poor sitting posture of these traditional chairs, you're further exposed to the risk of getting your spinal structures and electricity in your leg muscles damaged.
How to Eschew the Dangers of Sitting
So far, we've been talking about the dangers of sitting for too long - how it affects your productivity and deprives you of your health.
We need to discuss various measures we can employ to reduce the risks of sitting to the barest minimum.
Not only does your employer owes you the obligation of giving you a better life at work, but you also owe yourself. Your responsibility here is higher.
Let's check out the following measures together:
Work Out
Exercising regularly is one of the ways you can use to minimize the dangers of sitting for too long at work.
It doesn't matter when you choose to do this - it can be early in the morning before you leave for work or later in the evening.
You don't even have to go through the stress of registering at a gym or requiring the service of a tutor. You can do it all by yourself.
If you're a fan of outdoor exercise, we recommend getting a nice tracksuit and a pair of sneakers. Then you're good to go.
Have a destination in mind and set out for a walk or run, depending on what works best for you.
You'll notice that your cholesterol level is back to normal, calories burn regularly, and you're in good shape.
Do you prefer staying indoors for your workout session? You're also covered.
All you need is a lying mat and probably download an app that'll guide you on various workout activities you can do.
Set Timers and Alarms
You may get engrossed in work or probably forget that you need to leave your seat and take a stroll out or walk around your office room.
We suggest that you get a timer and alarm you can always set. It doesn't have to be modern.
You can even use the timer on your wristwatch, wall clock, or phone alarm.
Let's give you a bonus here - anytime you're working from home and you've set the alarm, we advise that you put it in another room so that you'll be forced to stand up and get it. Do you get that idea?
This will give you the chance to walk around or stand at least. Depending on your preference, you can make it every hour or 30 minutes.
Use Ergonomic Products
As an employer, getting ergonomic chairs for your employees will help them live a healthier life when compared to workers sitting with traditional chairs.
Though ergonomic chairs are more expensive than regular chairs, it's an investment worth it, and we highly recommend you opt for them.
You can check out our ergonomic office chairs, standing desks and other office products.
Only when your workers feel comfortable at work can they be more productive. Eventually, you'll discover that you're investing in yourself.
Active Sitting
This idea is fast becoming prominent in the corporate world, and this is where ergonomic products come into play again.
This method affords you the luxury and flexibility to move around while seated. Isn't that intriguing?
You can get ergonomic chairs that you can manually set to lean forward or backward - you get to determine the degree you want to be positioned, and you can change it after a while again.
By so doing, you minimize the risks of sitting for too long without even standing up. That sounds interesting.
Not only for companies but active sitting is also now recognized in the rehabilitation and pediatric industry to treat people with spinal cord injury or cerebral palsy.
Work Healthily Today
Health is wealth. We, therefore, recommend you steer clear of anything that might want to rob you of your health. Not just at work but also at home.
Guide your health jealously.
We recommend you further check the Flexispot catalog for more office and home office products to give you the best work experience you've always wanted. A try will convince you.
