Are you Sitting too much?

Maybe you've heard the new catch phrase, "Sitting is the new smoking"? 

Have you wondered why that is?  Are you curious as to how prolonged periods of sitting is causing you harm?  How sitting decreases brain activity, can cause back pain, shoulder pain and neck pain? How sitting can decrease fat metabolism, contribute to metabolic diseases, heart disease, depression and even some cancers?

For a simple explanation, watch this 5min Ted Ed talk (perhaps do it standing!) and learn what impact sitting is having on your posture and health.

If you're curious, you can even take this survey and calculate just how much sitting you are doing each day, the results may shock you!

Here's a few strategies you may use to get off your butt;

1. If you work in an office at a desk, perhaps get into the habit of taking phone calls standing up

2. Set an alarm for every 30mins to get up out of your chair and do a few stretches

3. If you commute to work via Public Transport, you could choose to stand instead of sit

4. There are great options for standing work stations - check this one out

5. Walk to work, or at least park further away from the office.  This serves two purposes, increases your exercise for the day AND reduces sitting time in the car

6. If you're into computer games, try playing them standing up, instead of sitting!  It may surprise you to know that standing actually increases brain activity and reactivity.  So standing may help you get to that next level.