Sitting down all day is terrible for your health, and you don’t even know it. While you sit and barely move because you’re not allowed to, blood is pooling in your legs due to inactivity. This constant pooling in one location leaves your body in a limber state, making you feel lethargic and really tired.
But the more troubling worry is blood clots. Yes, your legs pooling blood in them increases your chances of forming a deadly blood clot by over 67%! That’s huge.
There was a report in the news recently about a kid who was playing World of Warcraft for 8 hours straight. That’s a video game, if you didn’t know that.
He sat down for a straight 8 hours, and didn’t move an inch. When he got up, he died from a brain aneurysm due to a blood clot that had formed due to too many days of sitting in one spot for hours at a time.
8 hours is not even that long for most people. Think about your given work day: how long do you sit down? maybe 6 hours per day, with the hour off for lunch? You’re awfully close to what this kid was doing.
So now that I’ve thoroughly scared you half to death, how can you fix this problem without actually quitting your job and running every day? That isn’t a good option, so here are some good ones:
#1 – Stand Up Once Per Hour
Studies have shown that just 2 minutes of light activity per hour is enough to stave off the grim reaper for another day when you’re sitting around most of the time.
This is perfectly doable. Use this opportunity to walk to the water cooler, maybe go to the bathroom, or just stand in one place and bounce around for a little bit.
#2 – Try a Stand Up Desk
These seriously exist. They’re desks that are designed to be used while standing. But the beauty of them is that you can adjust them to your liking, and even to a sitting position.
So while you wouldn’t want to stand all day, you can adjust it for a little while, and then go back to sitting again.
#3 – Move Your Legs a Lot More
Restless leg syndrome? Get out of here! it’s saving your life!
Being restless at your desk, from tapping your fingers to bouncing your legs, can be plenty to keep your body active enough to stay away from disease and blood clots.
