Sitting is the New Smoking: 4 Simple Tips to Avoid the Negative Side Effects (Infographic)

Let’s be honest. How long do you really sit in a day? Sitting at your desk, sitting for meals, sitting in your car or bus commuting, sitting on the couch watching a movie – it all counts. You’ve probably heard that sitting all day at work is killing you. Thankfully, there are things you can do to earn a few years of your life back.

Consider this from ragan.com:

• If you stand every 20 minutes, you avoid all the negative effects of sedentary work.
• When you stand, your heart beats 10 times more per minute than when you sit. In one year, that adds up to more than 30,000 calories burned, which equates to running 10 marathons.
• Taking walking or water breaks throughout the day can increase productivity by 60 percent.
• The ideal work-to-break ratio is work 52 minutes, break for 17.

In our post on Why Doing Less is Good for You, we mentioned 21 interesting ways to take a break to restore your energy, sharpen your focus, boost productivity and avoid burnout at work. If you need some fresh motivation to get off your bum, check out the following infographic from StandDesk.

According to a Gallup Poll, the average American works 47 hours a week. That’s more than 9 hours a day. With most of your week spent sitting in an office, it’s important to understand how your posture and diet affect your health.

4 Office Tips to Help You Live Longer

Tip #1: Stand More

Stand every 20 minutes. You’ll avoid any of the negative side effects of a sedentary job.

Tip #2: Take Breaks

Short standing breaks throughout the workday increases productivity. 

Tip #3: Drink Water

Drinking water is the easiest way to immediately boost energy.

Read: 7 habits of highly dehydrated employees

Tip #4: Monitor Your Fitness

You can’t improve want you can’t monitor. Wearables can boost productivity at work.

Standing more is clinically proven to improve your health. Start now – up you go!