Is Your Desk Job Killing You?
You may enjoy the comfort of a desk and a cushion swivel chair but over time it can affect your overall health, especially your heart health! Studies have found that people who have desk jobs have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in America!
So what about sitting is affecting your health? When your body remains idle, it can slow down your metabolism. When your metabolism slows down you are more likely to put on weight because your body isn’t turning the food you are eating into energy. The fat that compiles because of this leads to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high blood sugar, arthritis and more! Most people affiliate these issues with overeating, but commonly it has a lot to do with being idle for long periods of time. If we are sitting in a car on a commute, then at a desk all day, a table for meals, then on the couch watching TV each night or playing video games, we are failing to get the daily exercise needed to maintain our metabolic rate and stay healthy.
Standing Desk– Try getting a standing desk to encourage more movement. Standing can help you to lose more calories per hour and keep you active. You can also easily do leg lifts, squats, walk in place, or lunges all while working at a computer!
Stand While Taking Calls– Most of us have a habit of pacing while talking on the phone, so why not do it at work? Even if you don’t want to pace (to avoid bothering your coworkers), you can try just standing while you take calls or doing a few quiet exercises.
Walk to Lunch– Pick out a place that’s nearby and take a nice stroll to lunch (weather permitting of course).
Phone Applications– There are apps available that will send you reminders to do a breathing exercise or that you have been sitting for a long period of time and it might be beneficial to get up and walk around! The apple watch does this by monitoring your heart rate!
Start an Office Challenge– Get your coworkers involved! Set up a challenge of who can get the most steps per day or do exercises together, once an hour!
Email Free Zones– Try to walk over to a coworkers desk to chat face to face every time you have something to communicate rather than sending an email. You might find that it is more efficient because there are fewer misunderstandings!
Exercise After Meals– to avoid blood pressure spikes, try to do an exercise specifically after eating! This will definitely help with avoiding slowing your metabolism.
According to medical studies, sitting on an exercise ball doesn’t really have the health attributes that they advertise. It has been said to help with posture, and increase how many calories you burn per hour as well as a core exercise, but none of these are actually proven for use in an office setting. Unless it is encouraging you to stand more, skip this one.
According to Newton’s Law of Motion, a body in motion tends to stay in motion, right? Even starting with just one of these tips will greatly improve your health and help you to avoid increased risks of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and more!
Contact Beverly Hills Cardiology today to get a cardiology consultation to make sure you can stay as heart healthy as possible!