Do you work 8 hours a day sitting in an office? Then learn about the negative effects constant sitting can have on your productivity and health, and how you can prevent the consequences!
The consequences of too little exercise
In the 1940s, a British doctor named Jeremy Morris noticed something strange among London's public transport workers. Men who spent most of their day sitting had a much higher rate of heart disease than their colleagues who constantly climbed and descended stairs. His groundbreaking research launched a quest in medicine that continues to this day: to understand the harmful effects of sedentary behavior, such as sitting at a desk all day, and how to counteract them through exercise. The latest research from the Research Centre of Physical Activity at the University of Porto, in a meta-analysis, summarizes the results of several studies involving more than 1 million test subjects. The researchers wanted to determine how much exercise is necessary to ensure that constant sitting does not have long-term health consequences.¹ The study found that 60-75 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity, such as brisk walking or cycling, are needed daily to compensate for 8 hours spent sitting at work. The Department of Sport Medicine at the University of Oslo also looked at the necessary daily amount of exercise.² Their study also found that at least one hour of exercise should be done daily if the rest of the day is spent sitting. The daily hour of exercise mentioned in the study is related to the maximum time spent sitting, namely 8 hours at work. However, if you consider the time spent sitting in your free time, for example while driving or watching television, many people average more than 8 hours. This is also confirmed by a study conducted by the TV Panel Working Group in September 2016, which found that every German watches an average of 204 minutes of television per day.³ Given this figure, it should be entirely feasible to invest an hour of that time in exercise. Because people who have a relatively low activity level and also have a sedentary job have an increased risk of developing the disease.
Take-home message #1: If you spend most of your day at work and even in your free time in a sedentary position, it can have a negative impact on your health and productivity. The only thing that can help is exercise: at least an hour a day!
Constant sitting and productivity
Constant sitting not only increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other illnesses, it also affects many aspects of physical and mental performance, as well as one's productivity at work. The type of sitting position can also have a positive or negative impact on productivity. The so-called "classic sitting position," for example, is not good at all, even though most offices work this way. Here, your body is in the so-called C-position. Your head is bent forward, your shoulders slumped: This impairs your breathing and blood flow to the brain. Even though many employers are responding to this and offering alternative workplaces, the majority of Germans still work in the familiar sitting position. If you are one of them, you should abandon this position after a maximum of 60 minutes and take a short break. Moving also reduces stress. Exercise is an important factor in recovery, especially for mentally giving it your all at the office or at work. People who are physically inactive are therefore often less rested and lack the vital endorphins released during exercise. If you have less stress at work or can handle it better, you'll naturally be more productive and be able to handle a demanding workday more successfully. If you'd like to learn more about what a productive morning routine can look like and how exercise can increase your productivity, read our article on the 7 secrets of a productive morning routine .
Take-Home Message #2: Constant sitting not only makes you sick, as it increases your risk of a heart attack or stroke, but it also reduces your mental performance and productivity. Incorrect sitting posture impairs blood flow to your brain, and a lack of exercise leads to increased stress levels.
What you can do about it
Anyone who spends eight hours a day in the office should exercise outside of this time. This could be cycling home from work instead of driving, or taking an evening walk with friends. If you pursue a sporting hobby in your free time, all the better. If you still need a bit of practice to easily incorporate it into your daily routine, the following tips will help:
1. Work standing up
Taking breaks, even just a few minutes per hour, from your desk is the simplest and most effective way to achieve this, yet it still brings about a number of positive changes, especially for your mental performance. If you sit all day, stand up as often as possible, for example, while on the phone or during a conversation with colleagues. Short breaks at work have a remarkable effect on your productivity. Sitting rigidly also causes your attention and concentration to decline over time. Experts have examined the topic of constant sitting at work in the book "Bodies in Revolt" and recommend intensive work sessions of no more than 60 minutes.⁴ Afterward, you should treat yourself to a short break. The movement increases blood circulation and oxygen supply, so you're guaranteed to be able to get back to work with full concentration!
2. The little bit of housework…
Who would have thought it, but folding laundry for an hour a day has almost the same effect as taking a long walk? Most daily tasks, like cleaning, tending the garden, etc., place healthy strain on the body. The back and forth, bending up and down, definitely gets your circulation going and requires the body to perform a series of biological adaptations that it must simultaneously ensure. This exercises the arteries and blood vessels, and the risk of heart disease can be minimized. And that's not only good for your health, but also for your household. So: get to that laundry!
3. Trick yourself
Probably the most common reason for lack of exercise: Humans are creatures of habit. Everyone develops routines that are supposed to be more enjoyable, especially in their free time. But this often makes us lazy. Try to trick yourself into getting off the couch more often, for example, by placing the remote control on a table far away from you. At work, you could get into the habit of always drinking from the smallest possible glasses. This forces you to get up at regular intervals.
Studies
1. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2816%2930960-6/abstract
2. http://www.mrc-epid.cam.ac.uk/people/ulf-%20ekelund/
3.https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/2913/umfrage/fernsehkonsum-der-deutschen-in-minuten-nach-altersgruppen/
4. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/001401397188396
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