How to stay healthy, sitting for 8 hours a day

In recent years, standing workstations are becoming more popular, however, spend the whole day on their feet can not everyone. Here the experience of buying a stand-up table from Michael Cho, the reasons for its rejection of that workstation and some tips on how to reduce the harm caused by a sedentary lifestyle. If you spend sitting 8-10 hours a day, is really worth thinking about their health.

The blog Crew (Network, which helps developers and designers to meet for joint short-term projects) was post published its co-founder, Michael Cho (Mikael Cho), who described his experience of standing station. If you are thinking about optimizing your workplace, you should read this and decide what suits you best.

Buying a standing table and waived

I always wanted a stand-up table, heard about it and read about the benefits of research results. For example, the American Cancer Society tracked 123,000 people around the age of 18 years and found that the mortality rate among those who sat more than six hours a day, was much higher.

In another study involving more than 200,000 people and it has been observed that people performing physical activity at least five times a week, it is characterized by an increased risk of disease if they sit for a long time in one place.

One company even had a test, through which showed that the standing tables help to increase productivity by 10%.

All studies indicate that it is necessary to throw away his chair, and I decided to do just that at the time of the move to a new office. I booked a table for $ 22 from the IKEA, and, when fully assembled, I felt like a proud father.

The next day I went to the office, ready to stand all day, but stood only an hour, until the legs are tired. The back and shoulders began to ache, but I struggled. REDD shoulder blades together, struggling to counteract the force of Earth's gravity, which seemed to become twice as strong.

Despite the fact that I have struggled with the pain, I felt it was a good pain, such as pain in the muscles after exercise. I felt as if I train, and this discomfort - just part of the process.

After two hours of standing, I took break. It seemed that the sit - this wonderful invention of mankind.
When I felt ready for the next round, I started working again standing.

Now, however, tired legs and back in 20 minutes. I still did not give up attempts, believing that it is part of the training and my body has to get used to.

After two weeks I was able to stand for four hours a day, but still I needed breaks periodically. This is fine for me because I often need breaks during the day to cheer and sustain a productive state.

The problem with a stand-up table was that it forced me to go to rest at the time when my brain is not needed respite and wanted to work.

it was hard for me to get into the flow, while I was standing. Standing station helped me to stay focused on tasks such as checking email and replies to letters.

But for other tasks that require more concentration than the letter, I could not get to concentrate because I was thinking more about the pain in the legs, than about anything else.

And even if the pain has been useful for me, I thought about it at the expense of their work. It is because of that I ruined his standing station.

Maybe I have lost opportunities for health promotion and productivityBut standing station did not help me work better. And this criterion, I put in the first place, equipping their workplace.

When the job goes, I do not want to be interrupted because of the pain in the legs when the thought went, you do not want to stop because of discomfort in the lower back. I just want to think about their own affairs and not be distracted.

I like to be active every day, it added happiness into my life. But standing workstation - it's not mine. I found a few other ways to be active every day.

Is it true that the seat is just as harmful as smoking?

Research over the past few years have shown that prolonged sitting - this is our generation smoking. This is partly due to the emergence of a large number of professions where you have to sit all day in front of computer screen - a lot more than people were in the past generation.

In fact, to sit, there is nothing wrong. Kills it prolonged sitting motionless. The stay in another position without movement for a long time (e.g., standing) is also not very good for the health.

In many studies, the negative effect of seating the scientists first point to long periods of physical inactivity.

When we do not move, the risk cardiovascular diseases increases, blood circulation is disturbed and the production of enzymes that break down fat.

The standing workstation may be a way to solve the long sitting problems, but it does not solve the problem of inactivity.

Of course, you can burn a few extra calories, if you replace the chair to a standing workstation, but this day provides high load on the legs, so you may experience varicose veins and negative effects on knee joints.

The point is not whether you're sitting or standing. The essence of the move.

Although intense exercise can be beneficial to your health, they are not even necessary to add yourself a few years of life.

The main thing - the movement, rather than a hike in the gym

Dan Buettner, National Geographic researcher, and his team studied the "blue zone" - an area where people live the longest and lead a healthier lifestyle.

Most interesting is that most people in these areas do not go to the gym, and their daily activity of another kind.

One of these areas is in Japan, Okinawa. There, people are five times lower risk of developing colon cancer and breast cancer, and they live on average seven years longer than the average American. In their culture, people sit on the floor, and they have to get up from the floor of 30-40 times a day.

Another example - a village in Sardinia, Italy. There is 10 times more people who live more than 100 years than in the US.

Centenarians settle into a vertically constructed houses, which always have to take the stairs. In addition, their land is not very fertile, and requires regular work with low intensity.

In each of these communities, walking - this is the standard mode of transport. Büttner states that it is the only proven way to avoid deterioration cognitive and general body functions, raise the level of activity and live a healthy, long life.

Conclusions Buttner backed by studies conducted in the United States. US neuroscientists have observed 300 patients for 13 years.

People who went to longer, reduces the risk of problems with memory somewhere halfway. According to the study it was found that nine miles a week (about two kilometers per day) - the optimum distance, which is necessary for health.

If you like to go to the gym - it's great. Exercise will help you become a stronger, happier, and will add years to your life. But if you can not find the time to exercise, or you have an injury that interfere with the pleasure to engage in the gym, there are other ways to increase the activity required for your body.

How not to die of a permanent seat

Walking - one of the ways to increase activity for the day. But sometimes you can not escape from the office to walk. Maybe the weather is terrible or you burn deadlines.

Here are three easy ways to increase your activity office.

1. Work with legs raised above

If you work with feet on the floor, blood circulation is disturbed. However, you can cope with this and equip their workplace so that the legs were a little higher.

Also, one study found that the back of the chair at an angle of 135 degrees helps to reduce the strain on the back from the constant sitting.

Thus, it is possible to set up his chair at 135 degrees and put under the table, nightstand or stool to restore blood circulation in the legs.

2. Do the usual sit-ups

Squats - this is the best way to activate the production of enzymes that break down fat in your body, and excellent exercise to maintain blood circulation in the legs.

And it does not have to change into a physical shape, just do as many squats as you can when waiting until free microwave oven, coffee maker or a printer.

Even in Moscow, attaching people to the sport, we chose squats: the subway put machine that gave 30 squats a free ride on the subway.

3. Stretch

Many of the muscles surrounding the hip, are associated with the tissues in the back. So if you used to work at the table for several years, the muscles in the hips can "clog" and create pain. To get rid of this, you can stretch.

Coach Kelly Starrett, having worked in the gym since 2005, noticed that athletes tend to have problems with the implementation of such a simple exercise, like squat.

He developed a system of stretching, which helps reduce the risk of injury and improve athletic performance.

Try to do these exercises every day, they take no more than three minutes and help get rid of the problems with clogged muscles.

So, if you stand table fit - excellent. But if not, do not worry. After all, to stand all day without movement is not much better than sitting.

The key to health - this movement. Walking into the office or home, climbing stairs or a few sit-ups waiting for dinner. Move as much as possible, and your health will be normal, despite a sit-down job.