If you spend too many hours seated, you should change your habit. Why? Studies show that sitting for too long is a health risk. It can cause obesity, increased blood pressure, back pain, and deep vein thrombosis, among other conditions. It has also linked to depression, anxiety, and reduced productivity.
Therefore, whether you are in the office, at home, or traveling, you should avoid sitting for many hours. These three practices will help you break the dangerous sitting habit.
1. Taking Breaks
You can avoid sitting for too long by taking breaks throughout the day. Experts recommend that you take a break after about every thirty minutes. Use the time to walk around the office or your home. You can also decide to stand near your desk and stretch for a few minutes before sitting again.
Observing breaks throughout the day will limit the number of hours you spend on the chair. However, this requires discipline as you can easily be carried away by the task at hand. For example, if you are working to meet deadlines, you might consider taking breaks as a waste of time. However, if you train your mind and body, taking breaks will become natural.
2. Get a Chair-less Desk Set-up
Using a standing desk is an effective way of breaking a sitting habit. The desk comes without a chair, which forces you to carry out tasks such as typing on a computer while standing. Thus, you get to take a break from sitting, which is healthier.
In addition to helping you avoid sitting for too long and risking your health, a standing workstation has other benefits. It reduces tolerance for distractions, gives you more energy, and increase office morale, which then leads to increased productivity.
3. Exercise Regularly
Exercising more often prevents you from sitting for too long. It helps keep the muscles fit, which then enables you to adopt new and healthy postures comfortably, such as working while standing.
Exercises also limit the number of hours you spend seated. For example, activities such as jogging and swimming reduce the time you spend on social media seated on your office chair. It also decreases the hours you spend on the couch watching movies.
Therefore, take every opportunity you get to engage in physical exercise. If there is a gym in the workplace, you can exercise during lunch breaks or in the evening before you head home. While at home, you can work out in the morning before going to the office or in the evening.
Exercise more during the weekend when you have more free time, which is when you are likely to sit more in the name of resting.
In conclusion, you should avoid sitting for too long. You can achieve this in three ways. You can take breaks throughout the day, use a standing desk, and exercise regularly. Observing these practices will help you avoid health problems. It will also boost your energy and morale, thereby increasing productivity.
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