Sitting vs Standing All Day
These days, more individuals than ever spend the workday sitting at a desk and working the computer, the telephone, or both. Maybe it’s a lot of sitting on the couch. Maybe it’s sitting because you drive a lot.
Would it be better being a cook or server in a restaurant, a job that requires us to be on our feet all day, moving at a much faster pace? Even bus and truck drivers sit nearly the entire day.
Think about clerks in department stores, they typically have to stay on their feet but only too often they fail to get a lot of exercise, because of being assigned a workspace behind a counter, i.e. cashier or jewelry display associate, etc.
Although at first glance, the restaurant worker would seem to have little advantage over the office clerk. But actually, one perk to be gained from working in restaurants, bars and some other jobs that require more physical activity is that the exercise these workers face each day is very beneficial to them, to their overall health and especially to their hearts. (however, this too could lead to vein issues, if the standing is in excess!)
When you sit in an office chair day after day with only an occasional trip to the restroom or the infamous water dispenser, your body is simply not getting the exercise it needs. Then when you come home from work, after a mentally exhausting day, all you feel like doing is sitting some more, again leaving exercise for another day.
Some insist this is just as bad for your health as smoking. According to reliable medical clinics this can and does, lead to obesity, high blood sugar, higher blood pressure. The Mayo Clinic claims that too much sitting all day long may have a direct connection with cancer, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, vein issues – like varicose veins and much more.
If you find our self sitting a lot here are a few things you can do to help.
- Get up hourly to refill your water. Not only are you drinking more water to help those veins but the movement will help too.
- Set a reminder on your phone to get up and walk around every 30 minutes. Do jumping jack, stretch, do a lap around the office.
- Make your desk accessible to stand at.
- Get a lunch that you can eat while you take a walk
- Try not to sit right when you get home, do a few things around the house to get that blood flow pumping.
Be sure to check back next week as we discuss the symptoms and what to watch out for while a sedentary lifestyle.
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