It’s estimated that on average people who sit too much live a few years less. Watching an hour of TV can, it seems, take 22 minutes off your innings. And the rub is that being quite active when you’re not sitting for long stretches, research reveals, won’t protect you from significant health hazards.
As legs are for walking not parking, the inactivity research findings seem surprisingly obvious. The whole office work set up is ripe for a reframe, and the upright work movement is just one more reason to mix things up.
Luckily, stirring the blood isn’t hard. Techniques, of varying cost, include doing squats and steps, having walking meetings, adjustable workstations and treadmills desks. For health and happiness, get more vertical. Just by standing we burn 50 more calories per hour than sitting.
