According to NHS England, sitting for too long over a long
period of time can increase your risk of developing particular
diseases and conditions. These include an increased risk of
diabetes, cardiovascular events like heart attacks and an increased
risk of death from a variety of causes. This means it's important
that you take steps to mitigate the effects of having to sit down
for a sustained period of time.

Here are some simple exercises that you can do to help reduce
the negative effects of sitting down for too long.

Cycle to work

The key to counteracting the effects of sitting down all day is
to be as active as possible throughout the rest of the day. Experts
recommend that you have 30 minutes of physcial exercise a day to
remain fit and health. Cycling to and from work is a great way to
clock up this exercise time- and save money and the environment at
the same time.

 

Take the stairs

Chances are that if you work in an office above ground level,
and especially a tower block, you've been tempted to take the lift
or elevator at the beginning or the end of the day. Even though you
probably aren't sat down when you're riding in it, the effects are
still the same- your body is still not moving. You're likely to be
sat down for many hours during the working day anyway, so ideally
it's better to minimise the time you're sat or stood still. A
simple way to do that is to just take the stairs instead of the
elevator and work out your legs and cardiovascular system.

 

Get up and stretch your legs regularly!

A very easy way to reduce the impact of sitting down for a
sustained period is to make sure that you take regular 'leg
stretching' breaks. A good strategy is to take a short walk around
your office every hour- even if it's just a trip to the
photocopier, water-cooler or toilet.

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