How to minimize the disadvantages of sitting?
Everyone knows nowadays that sitting for too long is bad for you. When sitting, the muscle activity is poor, the body gets stiffer and the blood flow slower. Do you still sit the entire day at the office? In this article I go through how to minimize the disadvantages of sitting, even though you work sitting.
Sitting during the workday causes many of us back- and neck pain, headache and stiffness. In addition to that, while the muscles are passive the energy consumption reduces and instead of muscle mass the body will start to pile up fat mass. In the sitting position the large veins and arteries of the hip are packed, which decreases the amount of oxygen-rich blood flow to the lower limbs. Still sitting or at least staying in place is required for many of us at our offices and jobs and it’s just not an option to quit –even for your health. So, what could be done?
The best sitting position is the next one
Change your sitting position often! Especially now when many of us is working from home, there aren’t any saddle-chairs or ergonomically designed office-chairs available. This is also a good thing, since you can sit on your chair as you like. I’m writing this article sitting on a kitchen-chair, the other foot on the floor, the other one on the chair. In a bit I’ll probably change my legs to the other way around. EVERY TIME you change your position on the chair, you activate the biggest muscles of your body: the glutes, the tights and the hamstrings. Activating your muscles is the key to avoid the decrease of the blood flow and that’s how you also keep your mind fresh.
If you’re working from home, you can try different workstations. Have you tried to work on the floor for a bit? On the floor you won’t find a comfortable position to work for 2 hours straight, since your body FORCES you to change your position in about every 15 minutes or so. Your legs get numb, knee starts to hurt a bit, you feel something on your lower back –your body is telling you to change the position! That’s how you keep also your muscles active –you just simply change your position pretty often.
Stand up and sit down
The fastest and easiest way to take a break from sitting is to stand up and sit back down. As you stand up, the energy consumption or yours will increase for 13-100% because you’re activating your biggest muscles as well as the muscles which control the trunk. Also, the big veins and arteries of the hip will get more room, which allows a better blood flow to the lower limbs. This way the blood flow of the entire body increases for a bit, which also affects the brain positively.
Could you work in a standing position for a bit?
An electric desk is the easiest solution for this, since you can lift the table up for like 15 minutes if you like. I know, many people don’t have access to electric desks especially during the quarantine, so try to be creative! Try one of these ideas:
Place a chair on the desk and your laptop on the chair.
Put a pile of books on the desk and your laptop on the pile.
Place your laptop on an ironing board.
Place an ironing board in front of your desk and your keyboard on it. Place a chair on the desk and your screen on the chair.
Use your creativity when building your work-spot! While building and tearing down your spot you also get some movement to your body, which is also great! Just remember that if you suddenly stand for hours, you’ll probably get as stiff as from sitting long. The best way is to change between standing and sitting!
Stand for a phone call
If your workstation doesn’t allow standing, try to stand at least for a phone call. Did you know that a 30-minute phone call in a standing position increases your energy consumption four times more than the same call in a sitting position? So as your phone rings, stand up and in the best-case scenario walk around your apartment!
I recently consulted Clevenio regarding ergonomy in B2B sales work and after the consultation many of their sales reps have been saying that actually standing up and walking can actually make also the process of calling potential customers less stressful.
Watch the TV somewhere else than on the couch
So you’ve finish your day at work and you’d like to sit on the couch and watch some TV. You’ve already sat for 8 hours while working, so what about you gave your body some other stimulus? Now is the time to try to watch the TV on the floor: laying down, sitting or in a squat position. The floor is pretty hard, so you’ll most likely want to change your position in a bit. Or what about you tried to stand for a while when watching TV?
We humans sit approximately 8-10 hours a day, which is a huge amount of sitting. An hourlong gym or home workout doesn’t reduce the disadvantages of sitting, so you NEED to focus on it during the entire day. Try the tips above and AFFECT your own health!
I’ve used Arto Pesola’s Luomuliikunnan vallankumous (2013) -book in this article.