Weakened Muscles - Sitting in an office chair all day means that none of the most important muscle groups in your body are getting the activity they need. In order to properly support you, your muscles need to stay active daily.
Weight Gain - The body naturally breaks down fat in the blood stream, but when you are sitting all day, your circulatory system slows down significantly. This is why the average person will gain an average of 16 pounds just 8 months after starting an office job. It’s no wonder why obesity is often associated with long term sitting.
Heart Risk - Sitting has a negative effect on blood sugar and blood fat levels in the body and long term sitting can be linked to heart disease. Sitting can reverse a well-intended workout. Heart disease can prove fatal, and in the early stages it can produce heart attacks.
Links to Type II Diabetes - Sitting burns about a calorie per minute, about half of what you would burn by standing. This inactivity can cause insulin levels to plunge, leading to a higher risk of developing Type II Diabetes, especially in women.
Chronic Back Pain – Prolonged sitting in one position, especially if the body is hunched over a desk, is regularly cited as the cause of many chronic back complaints. Furthermore, for those with pre-existing back ailments immobility can exacerbate the condition. Standing, on the other hand, encourages mobility and constantly re-aligns the spine as you adjust your stance, engaging and strengthening the core muscleswhich then support good posture. It’s standard practice now that doctors, rather than recommending bed rest for a bad back as they once did, positively encourage the patient to be as mobile and active as is comfortable to enable the body to correct the ailment itself. A standing desk can play a valuable role in that self correction.
Ergonomics
1. Determine your optimal standing height
2. You should aim to have your elbows at a 90 degree angle
3. Adjust your computer monitors to eye level – your chin should be at a 90 degree angle
4. Wear comfortable footwear if possible
5. Don’t hesitate to move around while you are standing. It’s natural and great for you!
6. If you get muscle fatigue, try an anti-fatigue mat to make you more comfortable standing
You’ll find you’ll probably want to build up your standing gradually as you get used to less of a sedentary life - so start by setting the App to prompt you to stand for perhaps 15 minutes every hour. As you become comfortable with that then you can increase that and thereby increase the health benefits gained by reducing all those sedentary hours.
The general recommendations is that a 60/40, 40/60 blend of sitting and standing over successive days are the safest parameters to work within, but its all really a personal preference and any reduction in the number of hours you spend sitting is going to benefit your health.
Best times to stand You have more energy after meals, because standing up helps blood flow which is key to good digestion. The best times to stand are in the morning, after you’ve had lunch and in the last hours of your day.
1: BURN MORE CALORIES
2: CORRECT YOUR POSTURE
3: IMPROVE YOUR CIRCULATION
4: BETTER BREATHING
5: ENGAGE YOUR MUSCLES
6: KICK START YOUR METABOLISM
7:IMPROVE CONCENTRATION AND CONFIDENCE
8:REDUCE STRESS
9:REDUCE BLOOD PRESSURE
10:GET A BETTER NIGHTS SLEEP