Dangers of sedentary work- and how to combat them.

Posted On Wednesday, 12th January 2011 at 14:58

Recent research on US office workers has shown that taking frequent breaks from the desk leads to a smaller waistline and better heart health.

Even those who exercised regularly, but then spent long periods sitting, had bigger waistlines and more cardiac problems than the frequent movers.

Some suggestions from the researchers on how to incorporate this into your lifestyle at work:

• hold meetings standing up (not a bad idea anyway to curtail their length)
• walk to colleague's office and talk to them, rather than email them (again not a bad idea in the interest of trying to save civilisation)
• have communal photocopy\ printing facilities that mean you have to leave the office to get the work (again might mean you cross fertilise ideas and conversations with people other than immediate neighbours)
• stand up for telephone calls (I always do this having read previously that it changes how your voice appears into a more friendly upbeat tone).

For further tips on how to get fit for the office worker, read the free ebook here