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Mayo Clinic Q and A: Active work stations because sitting all day is bad for your health
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DEAR MAYO CLINIC: One of the biggest things I have missed since my office went remote is going on walks with my coworkers throughout the day. With so many added responsibilities at work, I can hardly find time to leave my desk. How is all this sitting affecting me? How can I find a balance?
ANSWER: We understand the reality is that people have less and less time to exercise. While exercising before or after work is extremely important, it is just as important to stay active throughout the day. You may be surprised to hear that sitting for eight or more hours a day is comparable to smoking a pack of cigarettes a day in terms of heart risk. Sitting for too long throughout the day is one of the major risk factors for heart disease, cancer and many medical conditions. The solution? An active office can empower you to break out of a sedentary lifestyle.
An active workstation is essentially a desk where you are not sitting. This can mean a standing desk or one where you move around, such as biking, walking or using a step machine. An active workstation has many benefits. The main benefit is that it allows the user to be productive while burning calories at the same time. Walking pads or treadmills allow you to walk at a slow speed and answer emails, work on a project or participate in a video conference call.
An active workstation does not mean that you need to be moving all the time. And you don't have to be active for too long to reap the benefits of activity. It has been shown that even when you are standing, you are more likely to be spontaneously mobile than when you are sitting. This is important to keep in mind. Overall, sitting for less than three or four hours throughout the day is a good goal for those who are able.
Another concept that is gaining popularity is the idea of "snack" activities. A "snack" is doing something for two or three minutes after sitting for an hour. This helps you break the sedentary status of your body by taking the stairs for a few flights, doing some pushups or something meaningful in terms of activity for just a few minutes, and then coming back and continuing your work. These little episodes of activity reset your metabolic clock. Activity snacks can cause significant biological changes in your cells, metabolism and cholesterol. You may notice your mind feeling sharper for the next half hour.
While "activity snacking" is an affordable way to implement movement into your daily routine, you don't need a lot of money or a big investment to switch up your office furniture. There are some adapters out there that you put on top of your desk to raise or lower your monitor or laptop computer, allowing you to stand. Some people get creative and use a stack of books or other existing items. The bottom line is that everyone should feel motivated to redesign their home offices in order to be active longer throughout the day. This leaves us with less room for excuses. And, if you have days where you’re stuck going into the office, you still have options. Consider taking the stairs instead of the elevator. — Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D., Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
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