Stand Up For Your Health!

You can beat the harmful effects of being too sedentary with our smart tricks.

- Helen Foster

It’s official: sitting for too long is bad for your health. It’s therefore suggested that you should stand more throughout the day, or even head out for regular walks. But what if you work somewhere where that’s just not possible? Here’s how you can fight back.

The reason sitting is so damaging to your health is that the chair supports your body so your muscles don’t need to do very much. This alters a lot about the way the body behaves. Because the muscles aren’t active they aren’t using any fuel so sugars remain in our bloodstream longer which increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.

We burn fewer kilojoules sitting than standing, and after 30 minutes of sitting key fat-burning enzymes in the body also start to become inactive, potentially increasing the risk of weight gain.

“Blood flow to muscles also reduces when you sit for a long period, and your muscles also start to change length which, in time, can cause pain and postural problems,” says Melbourne-based exercise physiologist Jennifer Smallridge.