We are going to drop some big news concerning computers and your health. You might want to sit down for this. If you are at your desk then it's likely that you are already sitting, and that's the problem because sitting kills! Quick, stand up! Your life may depend on it!
Okay, we admit our introduction may be a wee bit overdramatic, but when you consider the scientific facts that show the seriousness of sitting too much, then you may want to take every chair in the office, stack them all up outside, and then dramatically set the whole pile on fire. While you are taking in the glow from The Great Office Chair Fire of 2013, you will want to share with your coworkers these statistics about how your quick thinking just saved everybody's lives!
- Sitting increases your chances for developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and blood clots.
- People who regularly sit for long periods of time are 54% more likely to have a heart attack.
- Men who sit more than 6 hours a day have a 20% higher mortality rate; this rate increases to 40% for women.
- If you sit for more than 23 hours a week, then you are 64% more likely to die from a heart attack.
All of these stats are pretty bleak, and they are extremely relevant for anybody who works in front of a computer all day--like our team at National Technologies Group! All of us were a little shocked after learning about how much danger we were in. Therefore, we pooled together our resources and expertise at being professional solutions providers, and came up with a fix: ditch the chair and take a stand!
As it turns out, standing while you work is the only way to effectively counteract these life-depleting side effects. You may think that you can sit on your duff for a whole work day, then go to the gym, drink some nutritious Ovaltine, and be just fine, but studies have shown otherwise. Apparently, sitting is so bad for you, the only way to be free from its comfy grip on your bum and your lifespan is to not do it.
An alternative and healthier option is to buy some good shoes, get an ergonomically friendly work station, and stand up throughout the majority of your work day. It is important to keep in mind that the dangers from sitting apply to more than your job at the office. If you have a significant commute to and from work where you sit in your car for a an extended period of time, and if your favorite activity is watching TV or playing video games on your couch, then it is likely that you are not on your feet enough throughout the week and you are a "dead man sitting."
Making the transition from sitting to standing while you work will be difficult, but the health benefits will be worth it. Anytime a co-worker asks you, "What happened to your chair, and why are your standing up?" You can point to the charred chair skeleton outside your window and share these benefits that come to those who stand:
- Standing burns a third more calories than sitting.
- Standing alleviates back pain and other repetitive stress injuries.
- Standing increases your focus, alertness, and your activity level.
- Standing increases circulation, stabilizes blood sugar, and increases your metabolism.
- Standing improves creativity, fights fatigue, and battles tiredness.
We hope that we have saved some lives today. It's a tough world out there, don't let yourself be done in by soft cushions. If you need help picking out a standing desk for your workstation, or help cleaning up from The Great Chair Fire of 2013, then give National Technologies Group a call at +61295186000.
