Why Sitting Can Wreck Your Health from Health Briefs

That twenty minute moderately-paced walk taken in the mid-afternoon is completely wiped out by the remaining two hours of sitting in a cubicle at work. Health Briefs looks at how sitting can wreck your health and how to remedy it.

Many articles have been written and published about how a sedentary lifestyle can shorten one’s life. A new study is out which states that sitting for two hours can wipe out 20 minutes of cardio-respiratory fitness levels. The Mayo Clinic Proceedings report published very recently found that sitting for too long affects people’s fitness levels no matter whether they exercised or not.  Sitting for too long all day and into the evening can increase the risks for obesity, stroke and heart attacks. But if we make a conscious effort to get up and move a little at work and at home, we can reduce those risks. The Mayo Clinic study also found that even some movement during the day at work helps. Get up and walk on breaks. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park farther from the building. Every little bit of exercise we get is helpful in some way.  Health Briefs suggests doing all of these every day. It takes very little effort to get up and move a little. And every part of the body will benefit from muscles and joints to hearts and minds. 

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Standing and Walking Spur Creativity – Health Briefs

Recent studies have pointed out that standing during meetings and walking during the day leads to more productivity and creativity than being expected to stay seated. Health Briefs explores how kicking sedentary work practices are better for everyone.

The next time the department needs to get together, remove all the chairs from the conference room and gauge the flow of energy. A new study suggests that standing during meetings benefits work performance where knowledge is the key to productivity. The report found that standing meetings produced more energized team members and ones who were more likely to share ideas. The study researchers were from Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis, MO and reported their findings in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science. Health Briefs also learns that walking is a great way to boost creativity. Walking helps the blood flow more freely moving more oxygen to the brain which then powers up the creative juices.

Creativity and productivity was raised by 60% for those who were allowed to get up and walk during the day as opposed as to those who were expected to stay seated. Even those who walked on a treadmill in a bland setting were found to be just as creative as those who took a 15 walk outside. Medical researchers have been saying for years that walking is an easy way to get moving again. It is now considered a great way to keep our minds active as we age, as well as boost productivity and creativity.

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