Why taking frequent breaks when sitting is a good idea

Humans are not designed to sit almost the entire day or live indoor most of their time. The connection with the outdoors is a strong, undeniable one, and the need to move around often is also built in. The problem is, life becomes busy enough to preclude both.

A new study published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings at the beginning of August brings an important fact into consideration: sitting all day erases much of the benefits of an earlier fitness activity. If you’re ready to ask ‘What’s the point of even trying then?’… Well, we ask that you withhold that for a while.

Here’s why. While it is true that being sedentary takes a bit toll on health and our general levels of well-being, there are ways to counteract that and make that morning workout count after all. If your job involves sitting for many hours in a row, you can break the routine by trying the following:

• Talk standing up and use that time to either lift your body as if you’d like to peek over a high fence, or just walk around the room.
• Move your water bottle off your desk so that every time you need to drink some you’ll get up and take a few steps.
• Take the steps wherever possible. Better yet, make it possible every time. Huffing and puffing notwithstanding, you will benefit from this great low impact routine.
• If using the transit, get off one or two stops before your own. Walk the rest, taking, if possible a reduced-traffic street so you will not breathe in all the exhaust.
• If you drive (after sitting all day) consider taking a walk after you get home. If you know that stepping in and kicking off your shoes will make you call it a day, have some comfy shoes in the car ready to put on as you leave work so you can have a brisk walk before stepping inside.
• Improve the quality of your lunch break: include a walk, rain or shine, it will become a beloved, welcome habit you will never part with.

As for the benefits of being active during the day even when you have a mostly-sitting job, here are a few:

• Improved circulation in your legs and less risk of varicose veins, an unfortunate consequence of sitting for long periods of time:
• Improved posture (more on this in a future post)
• Change of focus. You may find that getting stuck behind an idea may be solved with a simple walk around.
• Keeping your body active, even at low key levels, keeps your mind active and complements your regular workouts.

Some of the most progressive companies now opt for a fitness room or outdoors decks where employees can stretch their legs; it improved both moods, health levels and productivity, a big gain for everyone. Bring up the idea with yours if possible and help make your workplace better.