Two recent research papers (from Sweden and Australia) have highlighted the need to consider what we mean when we talk about sedentary lifestyles. "Sedentary populations" are known to be at increased risk of everything from heart disease and diabetes to DVT and many cancers. But traditional thinking has suggested that sedentary populations are those whose lifestyle as a whole involves little movement. So an accountant who sits at a desk all day, but runs every evening would not be considered sedentary.
The latest research shows that it is not only a lack of exercise in the lifestyle that increases these risk factors. Sustained muscular inactivity is the key to a large proportion of medical risk factors, and does not discriminate between those who train hard after work and those who do not.
So what does that mean for us? If we want to help employees to be truly healthy (including ourselves) we need to avoid sitting for long periods without moving. Incidentally, this is also shown to be one of the most effective weapons against back pain caused by sitting. Some respected physiotherapists would argue that it is better to get up, move and change your seat position regularly (we're talking every 20-30 minutes or so) than to sit still for a long time in the "optimal" position (as dictated by your workstation set up and the size of your frame).
A few tips for reducing muscular inactivity: -
- Use stairs not lifts wherever possible
- Get up every 20 mins, even if it is just to walk to the other side of the room and back
- Park as far away as you can from your destination
- Carry out desk-based exercises (see here for some ideas)
- Walk to the next office to talk to your colleagues rather than picking up the phone - it's nicer too!
Any other thoughts (I'd be particularly interested to hear from anyone in a call-centre environment to hear how you could address it)
