- the new taboo Sittingitis

Despite numerous health warnings on the negative effects of prolonged sitting, people continue to sit too much.

It is known that sitting too much increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, poor mental health and even certain cancers.

Some 78 percent of office workers feel they sit too much, but only 41 percent of office workers actually stand for more than 30 minutes per day at work.

The term sittingitis is the new taboo; most people know they sit too much, but the majority do nothing about it.

This may be down to work-placed habits and routine leading to sedentary repetition, or the lack of understanding on solutions to break the taboo.

There are three steps that will help turn inactive days into active days. These include:

1. Taking phone calls and meetings standing up

It not only gets your blood flowing faster, it increases your confidence and you’ll actually get through the call quicker than taking it sat down.

2. Have a walk and eat lunch in the open air

Fresh air really picks you up, your step count will increase and that little walk back to the office will help your blood sugar decrease, reducing afternoon dips in energy.

3. Adopt a standing desk

Using a standing desk has been proven to help reduce blood sugar, improve mental wellbeing and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and using a standing desk for just 30 minutes per day can reduce your body weight by a staggering 5.2lb per year.