Get Up And Move

Do you work a desk job? If so, how often do you get up and move around? Many are starting to question the long term effects of sitting for extended periods of time. Some relevant data has started to be analyzed and many are saying that a sedentary lifestyle is trouble. Though nothing is certain, sitting all day doesn’t seem to be providing many benefits. Between meetings, paperwork, emails, reading, computer work, I sometimes find myself seated for an average of 10 hours a day. I would like to share a quick few tips for those of you who do the same. Get up and move at least every hour: If you work a desk job, don’t sit in your seat all day. How big is your building? Can you go outside? Is there a stairwell? Take a couple minutes to get up and take a lap around the building, better yet, hit the stairs or head outside for a quick 5 minute walk. Afraid of getting in trouble for not being at your desk at work? Bring a big water bottle with you and hit the bathroom every hour (bonus: take the long way there), no one will blame you for going to the bathroom. Anytime you can do your task standing, do so. Are you a reader? I have been reading a lot recently and rather than sitting on the couch, or laying in bed, I’ll sometimes hit the treadmill for a slow walk while I read. Do you have to take notes? Sometimes I have to reveiw papers, and rather than highlight them seated at my desk, I’ll stand up or walk around and highlight them. Are you on the phone a lot? What’s holding you back from standing up or walking around. Same holds true for the TV... Do you have to be seated to watch it? Can you put a stationary bike, treadmill, or anything else mobile in front of the TV? I’m willing to bet your local craigslist has an old stationary bike for sale/free, so go pick it up and use that in front of the TV when you're catching up on your News, House of Cards, Kardashians (whatever it is you watch - I don’t judge). There are many scenarios where you will find yourself seated for hours. But why are you seated? Is it because you have to be, or because it’s a common practice and considered convention to be seated? Don’t let this stop you from getting up and moving around. You can do all of this for free, but if you feel you need something to reinforce your new habits, you could purchase a fitness band that tracks your movement as well as send you notifications every hour to get up and move. Or set an hourly reminder on your smartphone or desktop - there are many apps available for this. Finally, were you seated when you read this? Did you have to be? Get up and move.