Sitting all day isn’t great for our health. Research shows that the average office worker sits 5 hours 41 minutes, causing some scientists declare,“Sitting is the new smoking.”
Although others have since hit back at that claim, the sedentary nature of modern office life has been put under more scrutiny lately.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) used this years World Health Day, on 7 April 2016, to draw attention to diabetes, a condition affecting 9% of adults (18+) worldwide, known to cause at least 1.5 million deaths annually.
Diabetes occurs when the pancreas can’t produce or manage the insulin it creates, resulting in harmful levels of sugar in the blood.
Keep moving and standing
Healthier diets and staying active are two of the best ways to prevent diabetes. James Levine, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic, kickstarted the research into the dangers of sitting. “The default has become to sit. We need the default to be standing”, he said in an interview.
Before long, much of what he and other scientists have uncovered confirms that “a sedentary lifestyle appears to be detrimental in the longterm”, according to The Smithsonian Magazine.
Hence, the almost healthfad craze surrounding standing desks, especially in nontraditional workplaces, such as coworking offices, digital, and tech companies.
Working from a standing desk, along with taking time during the day to walk around, either to speak with colleagues in the same building or simply to stretch your legs, burns an extra 50 calories per hour than sitting.
Standing desks reduce the risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and increase life expectancy.
Eating healthier
Being busy is the death of a healthy diet. A lack of energy, or time, reduces willpower. So a healthy meal plan can go out the window after one or two tiring days at work. Suddenly calories don’t matter, you just need all of the carbs.
Indulging is great, we all need that from time to time, but what about when you genuinely want to get healthy but still don’t have the time to make smoothies and other Instagramworthy meals?
Luckily, there are now some amazing companies that have gone and made this a lot easier for everyone.
Organic Burst, for example, founded in 2011, when a husband and wife team, Katya and Dimi, discovered the health benefits of pure, organic, ancient ingredients. These superfoods, such as Spirulina and Acai, have been turned into tablets and powders (just take like any other health supplement or driink with water, or mix in recipes), making it easier to incorporate into the eating habits of those with busy lifestyles.
Finally, stay active. Between IoT devices, such as Fitbit and online workouts (check out Fit Gurus) staying active has never been easier.
By MO:VEL shoes