We all sit at our desks, quite content and happy, powering through our daily workload, typing away at our computers, getting up to make the odd cup of tea.
Each hour goes by, and we are still seated at our desks. We continue with our task list and put our aching muscles and numb bums to the back of our minds. We carry on as usual even though our bodies are taking the strain and are becoming affected. We are becoming inactive, lazy, lethargic and stiff, yet the thought never really crosses our minds ‘Is sitting down for hours on end damaging our health as much as a smoker is harming theirs?’ The answer is most definitely YES! But many don’t realise how dangerous this is.
We are causing as much damage to our bodies by our sedentary lifestyles as those of us that smoke. As stated by American doctor Dre James Levino, the inventor of the treadmill desk has explained, “Sitting is more dangerous than smoking, kills more people than HIV and is more treacherous than parachuting”. In other words, we are sitting ourselves to death.
After much research, there are so many risks associated with our health and being seated for long periods. Some of these health risks include the development of cancer, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.
Smoking, of course, is linked to being bad due to the higher risk of getting cancer. Tar sticks to the clothing, skin and the insides of our lungs and leads to other diseases including bronchitis, emphysema and heart disease. Being seated for too long affects the ability to regulate blood sugar levels, blood pressure and a breakdown of body fat.
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However, here are a few other ways in which we can prevent ourselves from this unhealthy lifestyle while at work or while being sat at home.
Strike a Pose
Body language is more important than you realise, not only for potential clients and colleagues, affecting how potential clients or colleagues perceive us but also for our internal chemistry within our bodies. According to research holding your body in a particular position changes the way we are and our body language at work is equally as important as verbal communication. This is where the “Power Pose” comes into action. There are two types, the high and the low, with high power meaning having your body open rather than closed or hunched up, with the chest pushed out, and arms spread wide, with no slouching allowed. The idea is to take up space around you, holding a high pose for just 2 minutes. This is proven to increase levels of testosterone, increasing confidence. The cortisol levels are decreased, meaning that we become less stressed. The high power pose is not just about standing tall. It is essential to focus on the positioning of your feet, make sure you smile more and breathe deeply, lowering your voice when speaking. This all leads to feeling more positive within the workplace. The low power pose, however, is often associated with sitting down, slouching over our laptops (yes, that’s me!), having our legs crossed and arms folded. Again, we forget we are creating our bad habits, and this type of pose is making us lazy and unmotivated, the opposite effect to the high power pose.
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