THE WORLD OF CUBICLES

It seems I live in a cubicle world. Every weekday I ride my commuter train 45 minutes or so to my job and walk the few blocks over to the building where I work. As I enter the doors I know that the majority of the next 9-10 hours will be spent sitting in a small unattractive 5x8 cubicle. Yuck!

The mentality where I work stresses staying in your cubicle. It is frowned upon if you are seen up and moving about. Over the past few months sitting has become more of a problem for me. It seems my body is much more comfortable standing rather than sitting for long periods of time. I first addressed this issue with my employer and they offered to have an ergonomic assessment done of my workspace. The only problem was that no allowance for standing was made. Again, the overall message was to continue to sit.

Maybe my employer should check out the facts about sitting and begin to offer employees such as myself other options.  

Emerging research shows that sitting for long periods of time contributes to risk of metabolic syndrome, heart attack and stroke risk and overall death risk, among others. Those who sit a great deal also have lower life expectancies, larger bottoms and slower metabolisms.

- Huffington Post, December 16, 2012 -

In an effort to stand more I have “jerry-rigged” my cubicle a little and often get up out of my chair during the day. Experts recommend a 50:50 sit/stand ratio. Another thing I do is some stretching exercises while standing throughout the day. This is not exactly looked upon with approval by my employer. It seems they think I will be more productive if I am sitting. Not true!  

Considering that most public health messages today suggest that people get more exercise one would think that exercising either before or after work would be the answer. However, the studies done on prolonged sitting show that people who spend 6 or more hours a day on their butts have a higher risk of mortality whether they exercise or not. 

Unfortunately, research shows that extra-curricular trips to the gym--running the mornings before work or hitting up a post-office spin class--can't undo the effects of a day spent on one's behind. 

- Huffington Post, December 16, 2012 -

According to Scott Lamb of BuzzFeed people are sitting down more than ever in history--an average of 9.3 hours a day--which is more time than we spend sleeping (7.7 hours) and our bodies just aren’t designed for this. 

So with all this information I am going to continue to stand more at work and stretch often. I am also going to try standing on my breaks and make sure that I get off my butt as much as possible. 

WE HAVE TO STAND UP 

FOR OUR RIGHT TO STAND UP!

Have any of you experienced problems associated with sitting too much? I would love to hear your comments and suggestions on what you have done to overcome these issues.