If you are habitual of prolonged sitting, you are an inviting hazard. The horrible side effects of prolonged sitting will kill your health.
Imagine chairs would hold this sign. “Would you sit as much as you do?” Probably. But we all need to sit less, a lot less.
You sit for hours on your ass, not knowing what it would do to your health. Enter a room, and what you hear first is… Please have a seat. It is polite and true; you are at eye level with the person you are talking to.
So why would you refuse? “Thanks; I`d rather stand because it is bad for my health.”
To avoid seeing your opposite rolling their eyes… 9 times out of 10. However, prolonged sitting hours can cause serious damage to your back. Back pain is underrated among the list of nasty consequences.
So there`s a bigger price to pay. Above six hours per day, you are destined to pay the price—not today, not tomorrow, maybe not even in five years, but further down the line. Science proves this.
We don`t make the rules, but we are wise to think that exercise alone is not enough. Exercise, even 4-5 times a week, cannot compensate for the side effects of prolonged sitting.
The Habit Of Sitting
We sit in cars, in office chairs, on the couch. Why the heck do we have to sit in meetings 100% of the time? Who tells us to do that?
Our habit.
“Can you please sit down again, you make me nervous.” Have you heard that before?
Standing almost feels weird, and the Quasimodo posture painfully shows why sitting is the modus operandi. We have forgotten that. By nature, we were determined to move, stand, and run.
Painful Numbers
The science is clear on that. Painfully clear. Sitting more than 6 hours per day increases the risk of premature death by 25%
People who sit for 11 hours per day have a 40% percent higher risk of premature death than people who sit less than 4 hours.
Death is a distant event, so why be scared of it? How about…
- Degradation of brain structure
- Decreased performance
- Increased risk of stroke
- Degeneration of disks
- Neck and Back Pain
- Posture damages
- Lower metabolism
- Weight gain
The list is long. Enough of that. How can you avoid doomsday? Stand (up) more, yes, but how? These are the steps that you need to take.
5 Basic Steps to Negate The Side Effects of Prolonged Sitting
Make an anti-prolonged sitting strategy as follows:
# 1 Get An Electrically Height Adjustable Desk.
It is non-negotiable. The latest gadget is more sexy, but why not have both? Be cool and be healthy. You may whine that it costs you a few hundred bucks.
Tell me how else you think you can build a successful business without sacrificing your health. And don`t buy any of this cheap and shitty desk kind of things…. unstable, small. They`re thrash.
# 2 Now You Need A System
Work with If/When—then rules.
For example, I work from a standing position when I have lunch. When I finish my work day, I raise my desk for the next day`s start.
- Post a note to your laptop, set a timer—whatever works best.
- How often? Start by standing for 20-30 minutes twice a day.
- Work your way to doing this 5-7 times.
Now, you are bypassing the effects of prolonged sitting.
# 3 Long Breaks and Time-blocked Breaks
In addition to working in a standing position, take a longer lunch or breakfast break to get moving and frequent 5-minute breaks.
# 4 Walk Around The Blocks
Whenever you have a meeting that requires no screen, it`s a signal to go out and walk around the block. It all adds up.
# 5 Not Sitting + Walking + Working
This is the mountain’s peak, the Mount Everest of stacked healthy habits. Combine all three by buying an under-the-desk treadmill. Get yourself that treadmill, and you will find that it’s easy to be in a call and walk at lower speeds.
It’s more challenging to type while walking. But you’re good to go after the initial learning curve.
Remember, prolonged sitting is the new smoking.
