Blog: Have You Heard “Sitting Is the New Smoking”?
You might not think you spend that much time sitting, but if you or your workers work in a standard office environment and spend each day at a desk from 9 to 5, that's eight hours straight. Then think of all the time you pass at home sitting and reading, watching TV, or using the internet.
Even more, time is spent sitting if you drive or take public transportation to work. When you consider how much sitting the average office worker does throughout a day, the total starts to pile up very rapidly.
So, what can you do if you must spend the entire day shackled to a desk to maintain your health and the health of your employees? A solution that appears to be gaining popularity is reconsidering the kind of workstations your company utilizes.
There is a movement to convince office workers to stop sitting all the time. There are more and more desks that enable workers to stand or even roam about as they work (3).
THE EVIDENCE that spending too much time sitting is bad for us is overwhelming; in fact, the World Health Organization recently updated its recommendations for exercise to specifically consider this. To stay active at work, many desk employees are turning to the very thing that (presumably) also keeps them attached to it: technology.
The treadmill desk is one of the most complex (and expensive) of many remedies for our sedentary lifestyles. This also helps to keep the body fit as a sedentary lifestyle is one of the risk factors for chronic diseases such as the development of cardiovascular diseases (1).
Other benefits of physical activities and keeping the body fit are:
Weight management
You may develop muscles and strong bones by exercising. It might also aid in osteoporosis prevention.
Physical activity regularly can give you more energy.
Maintaining a healthy weight and lowering the risk of chronic disease need daily physical activity.
Exercise that is moderate in intensity helps protect your skin from free radicals, increases blood flow, and postpones the aging process.
Regular exercise enhances blood flow to the brain, which benefits memory and brain function. It can support the preservation of mental function in elderly persons.
Regular exercise, whether aerobic or a mix of aerobic and resistance training, can improve your sleep and make you feel more energized during the day.
The pain associated with numerous illnesses is improved by exercise. It may also help people tolerate discomfort better.
In both men and women, exercise can help to increase sexual desire, performance, and function. Additionally, it can aid in lowering the danger of erectile dysfunction in guys (2).
References:
1. Reference: Benefits of Treadmill Desks
