Sitting. Life is meant to be in the driver’s seat, but not for hours on end. As the onset of technology, convenience, and work have led to many lives being consumed by sedentary hours, our health continues to be put at risk. Children today come home from school, having sat all day school minus maybe 45 minutes of P.E., only to continue to sit more for homework, T.V., dinner, then off to bed. Adults have the same habit. Maybe they hit the gym for 1 hour, but the rest of the day is at a desk, driving, or being at home to sit more during downtime.
Here’s a possible example of how one’s adult life might look: “If you for instance have a work where you sit most of the time and work 8 hours/day, 5 days a week it’s likely that you sit more than average. 2 hours/day is reasonable to spend on meals. 2 hours is reasonable to spend on traveling to and from work. That is 12 hours/day” (https://www.quora.com/How-much-time-does-the-average-person-spend-sitting-during-their-life).
Most people are totally aware that they sit too much, should get up for standing or walking breaks, and need to even consider getting a standing desk. But that would require effort and might take away from the task at hand. Realistically even your lunch break is spent sitting. Sitting, Sitting, Sitting. So much!!!!
Sitting is a disease. An overly sedentary lifestyle results in poor health. Here’s the truth: “It’s a common misconception that exercise can compensate for too much sitting. Even if you engage in the doctor-recommended 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per week, you are still subject to the negative impact of too much sitting”. ( http://www.juststand.org/the-facts/).
Stand up for yourself. Any work environment that doesn’t permit you to take a walk break, stand up, or have a standing desk, isn’t thinking about your quality of performance in the long run.
Standing makes the blood rise and the mind function better. Be the example to your children. Have them stand to do their homework. Sitting so much now will result in sitting when you don’t want to or have no choice because your body is suffering the consequences of poor health. As
Maya Angelou said, “I rise, I rise, I rise”. Rise up to your health by standing more than sitting.