Sit All Day? 6 Ways To Stay Active At Your Desk

We tell ourselves time and time again that we've got to stop sitting so much. It's bad for our health for a whole slew of reasons, but there's just no way we can spend eight hours a day on the solitary TreadDesk in the office. (And we're lucky even to have one!)

So what can you do to fight obesity, diabetes, heart disease and the other risks of sitting too much? At the most simple level, stand more. A team of researchers from the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic are set to study 30 employees of Caldrea, an eco-friendly cleaning supply company in Minneapolis, whose desks have been replaced with workstations that make it possible to sit or stand while working, according to the Star Tribune.

"Sitting is sort of the new smoking," Mayo Clinic endocrinologist James Levine, M.D., Ph.D., told the Star Tribune.

The participants will stand at their desks for half of the work day, with a monitor attached to their underwear to keep them honest, according to a local CBS affiliate. Researchers expect that the standing workers will burn more calories, reduce medical bills and have more energy than their colleagues who continue to sit full-time.

Dr. Levine led a similar study in 2007 at a financial staffing firm in Minneapolis called Salo, according to the New York Times. In that instance, the 18 employees who increased their activity during the workday lost 150 pounds collectively.

CBS reports that the results of the study won't be published until May. In the meantime, click through the slideshow below for a few more ways to stay healthy and active at your desk.

For more on personal health, click here.

Comments

[lisa SiGH]

02:07 PM on 02/22/2012

I use the Stand'nSit Modular Workstation from StandinGoodHealth and love it!
Its an adjustable height workstation converts an existing desk to a standing desk and then folds away when you need to sit down.
http://www.standingoodhealth.com https://www.facebook.com/StandinGH?sk=app_106171216118819

[HufferandPuffer8]

07:50 AM on 02/21/2012

My daughter recently graduated from college, landed a nice position with an insurance company as a mortgage broker. She sits three days a week and visits mortgage offices two days a week. The work is stressful to say the least. Having been an athlete her entire life, always fit, she's now gained 55 pounds in one year. In addition, the stress has caused her to have female problems she didn't have before. It's taken quite a toll on her physically and emotionally. Since she rarely gets off work before 6:30, she hardly has time to get home, have some dinner and watch t.v. much less go out to the gym for exercise. It's a vicious cycle and definately not a healthy situation. Personally, I'd like to see companies adopt a healthy attitude for their employees, maybe add treadmills or workout stations that allow individuals to do their job while working out. Allowing workers to leave the office for an extended time rather than a rushed 45 minute lunch would cut out a lot of stress. An aunt of mine in Mexico use to work from about 7:00a.m.-12:00p.m. and then return to work from 2:00p.m.-5:00p.m. Time off was truly relaxing and returning to work was by no means a chore. In terms of the employers perspective, they get an employee when they are most productive - in the morning and after a good rest.

[dayvidday87]

09:10 PM on 02/20/2012

hahah great stuff!

[Joe Bugajski]

10:00 AM on 02/16/2012

I had a job where I had to sit eight hours a day, and it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I'd rather spend the day cutting steel and lugging around 100 pound bundles of tin, like my old job. White collar jobs are over-rated.

[DEFSD]

06:00 PM on 02/15/2012

Sitting is by far the most tiring and takes its toll on your back and back side. However, I have no choice, I sit in a wheelchair­, every waking moment of my day. Since I cannot stand, I do move around in my chair, shift weight as much as I can, and do simple stretches to extend my legs out, ( I do have to use my hands to move my legs) but it helps. I also make myself "roll" away from my desk as often as I can. Take into account, I do not eat goodies all day. I eat fresh fruits, drink water, and avoid sweets and pastries. That helps with keeping my weight in check. You must use a desk, make it a healthy use. Those who do not use a wheelchair can also rotate your ankles, bend knees and stretch out legs, without much thought. So, that is my suggestion­s for tonight.

[DEFSD]

05:59 PM on 02/15/2012

For starters get rid of that 1st slide, which shows posture guaranteed to hunch your shoulders and cause shoulder, neck, back pain and more problems. If you were actually typing all day in that position, instead of merely posing as the model is, you would know after about 5 minutes that the wrists must never be higher than the elbows, and should preferable be slightly lower than the elbows. Duh, that's why ergonomic desks usually have keyboard holders that are lower than the rest of the desk.

[DEFSD]

05:59 PM on 02/15/2012

b

[DEFSD]

05:59 PM on 02/15/2012

hfiuehfewuifh

[DEFSD]

05:58 PM on 02/15/2012

HIUSHEUVYH

[Conservative Mark]

06:16 AM on 02/04/2012

I've been using an exercise ball as my desk chair for a couple of years now and I have a lot less fatigue than from sitting on a regular chair.

[pcs5141]

07:44 PM on 02/03/2012

I always found a little hanky-panky in the supply closet was good exercise.

[laurenproof12]

12:47 PM on 02/09/2012

I've always found sleeping with your co-workers is unprofessional and classless:)

[Donald Kinge]

03:12 PM on 02/18/2012

Pcs never said that it was with co-workers...

[rewith85man]

04:43 PM on 02/03/2012

Sitting for a long time can be just as painful as standing all the time too.

[GLacagoo]

10:25 PM on 02/02/2012

Sitting is by far the most tiring and takes its toll on your back and back side. However, I have no choice, I sit in a wheelchair, every waking moment of my day. Since I cannot stand, I do move around in my chair, shift weight as much as I can, and do simple stretches to extend my legs out, ( I do have to use my hands to move my legs) but it helps. I also make myself "roll" away from my desk as often as I can. Take into account, I do not eat goodies all day. I eat fresh fruits, drink water, and avoid sweets and pastries. That helps with keeping my weight in check. You must use a desk, make it a healthy use. Those who do not use a wheelchair can also rotate your ankles, bend knees and stretch out legs, without much thought. So, that is my suggestions for tonight.

[Linda Feng]

02:25 PM on 02/02/2012

jump rope for 5 minutes if you can make it that long!

[Konnie]

01:41 PM on 02/02/2012

at st. mary's inn at notre dame - they have two women who walk a treadmill 8 hrs a day and do their work standing up. kill me now.