Small things to improve your health when you're sitting all day

The health community is clear about it: a sedentary lifestyle is an extremely harmful habit for your health. Still, for most people who work in an office, spending long hours without exercising is inevitable. What can you do about it?

The data are alarming. According to a 2022 World Health Organization (WHO) report, 500 million people are likely to develop heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and other non-communicable diseases by 2030 as a result of a sedentary lifestyle.

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"Sitting at a desk for eight consecutive hours not only harms circulation and vision but also contributes greatly to weight gain and the development of cardiovascular problems," physiotherapist Reginaldo Ceolin do Nascimento from Sao Paulo, Brazil, says in a summary of the medical consensus.

However, without information and resources, citizens spend more and more time sitting around. The WHO report analyzed 194 countries of which fewer than half developed a public policy to promote physical activity among the population.

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The data also showed that economic inequality is reflected in the disproportion of sports promotion between rich and poor countries. In Europe, for example, public encouragement of physical activity is much greater than in Africa.

The good news is that, according to a study carried out by the Taiwan Medical University, analyzing data from a group of more than 480 thousand people for 13 years, health can be significantly improved with a small increase in daily physical activity.

In the study, people were divided according to their way of working: sitting (60.2%), alternating between different poses (29.1%), and standing (10.7%), reported National Geographic.

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The results corroborated previous statistics: the more sedentary you are, the greater the mortality risk. Meanwhile, the group that worked alternately sitting and standing did not have a greater propensity for mortality than the group that worked standing.

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This means that you don't need to run a marathon to see significant results in your health. With a small increase in the frequency and duration of physical exercise, the risk of mortality approaches that of the non-sedentary group, reported National Geographic.

Yes, you can just include new and simple habits in your daily routine to regain good health. The first of them is to substitute the elevator with the stairs. This applies to both the workplace and the subway.

If you're taking public transport, try getting off one stop earlier and finish the journey on foot. This short walk ensures that your day starts with physical activity. If you drive to work, choose a parking lot a bit further away.

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In the rush of work, remembering to take short breaks is often difficult. Try to make the best of the breaks you have. When you feel thirsty, for example, choose to go to the furthest water fountain instead of the one closest to your table. The same goes for bathrooms. The longer the walk, the better.

Whenever you can, include some physical activity in your breaks. For example, squats are a good option. "Place your back against a straight wall, with your feet slightly apart, and squat slowly to get used to the exercise. Then, increase your speed, always being very careful not to force or injure your knees", physiotherapist Do Nascimento recommends.

For those who complain of lower back pain, stretching is recommended. This exercise can be done using the work chair and avoids muscle shortening, explained the physiotherapist.

According to Josephine Chau, professor of Public Health at Macquarie University in Australia, reducing or interrupting sitting time can improve blood circulation, metabolism, and heart health. It also helps with mental health, increasing willingness to work and to undertake activities in your free time, the BBC reports.

2-minute standing sessions every 20 minutes, or 5 every half hour, can improve glucose, fat, and cholesterol levels, the BBC adds. A small daily effort leads to a big improvement in health. Therefore, it is worth including these new habits in your daily life!

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