Just when you thought life couldn’t get any more dangerous,
studies are released showing a variety of health issues caused by a simple
action most people performing throughout most of the day: sitting. Yes, excessive
sitting has been found to cause serious diseases such as obesity, cancer,
diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. It may seem like these problems just stem
from a lack of physical activity and exercise, however that is not the case.
Even if one were to go for a strenuous work out at the gym,
it doesn’t do enough to counteract a long day of sitting at work. The best bet
is to break up long sitting periods whenever possible with standing or walking,
such as going to talk to a colleague across the office in person rather than
just sending an email.
Other studies show that sitting for too long is correlated
with reduced ability of the bloodstream to regulate glucose levels, a condition
that dramatically increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.
It’s not always easy to keep your body moving when your job
requires you to be at a computer for most of the day, but a way to ensure you
get a good balance of standing and sitting during your work day is to invest in
a standing desk, such as the ones manufactured by Luxor featured on the
Industrial Instruments and Supplies’ website. However, standing all day is not
great either for your knees and back, so be sure to maintain a healthy mix of
both sitting and standing whenever possible.
