8+Hours At Work

10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SITTING

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10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SITTING

  1. Most of us sit too much. The average person sits more than 8 hours per day. Many office workers sit as much as 15 hours per day!! Think about all the sitting in your typical day; sit at breakfast, sit on your way to work, sit at work, sit on your way home from work, sit for dinner, and then sit to watch TV or surf the internet.
  2. Sitting puts your metabolism to sleep. 60 � 90 minutes of inactivity (like sitting) is enough to shut down the enzymes responsible for producing HDL- the "good" cholesterol, and for regulating blood sugar.
  3. Sitting is harder on your back than standing. Sitting tenses the hamstrings and causes a flattening of normal curve in the low back. This distortion of the spine increases the internal strain of the back.
  4. Sitting with an open hip angle of greater than 900 reduces back tension. This reduces the hamstring tension and shifts some of the upper body weight onto the back cushion.
  5. Sitting provides more stability and control for detailed work as opposed to many types of stand up work. Sitting is easier on the Musculo-skeletal system.
  6. An hour of daily exercise won't counteract the negative health effects of sitting. Running, biking and other types of exercise are great for improving fitness, but they don't counteract the negative health effects of prolonged sitting.
  7. You need to stand and move each hour or more to maintain health. Movement like standing, walking, and other leg-muscle activity stimulates your metabolism and restarts your body.
  8. Adjust your chair for comfort, support, and movement. You chair should fit you and your physique, and it should allow for a variety of postures and movement. Adjust the back rest cushion up/ down to fit the curve of your low back, adjust the seat height for a comfortable leg support, and set the backrest to allow supported relining and movement back and forth.
  9. Your best posture is your next posture. There is no single best ergonomic posture.
  10. 10.Don't sit if you can stand, don't stand if you can walk. Both of these great Americans had stand up workstations.