Getting healthier in some way is the go-to New Year’s resolution for a lot of people—who might find they have given up by February.
But isn’t eating healthy when the house is still full of Christmas cookies and exercising more when it’s negative 5 degrees outside a bit much to ask of yourself? What’s something easy but impactful you might actually stick with? That might lead to bigger successes later in the year?
How about just standing more?
Health-care professionals have become increasingly concerned about the time people spend sitting every day—between six and a half and eight hours on average. And sitting for that long can lead to a whole range of health problems: sore necks and thighs and lower backs, poor mental health, slower metabolism, hypertension, even diabetes and some cancers to name just a few.
But if, like literally millions of us, you work at a computer all day and wind down with some TV or video games or books at night, what’s a (sedentary) 21st-century person to do?
Stand up!
“Low intensity, ‘non-exercise’ activities like standing and walking are much more important than most realize,” says the website JustStand.org, which is devoted to combating “one of the most unanticipated health threats of our time” and offers an online quiz to find out your risk level. (Experts say less than four hours sitting per day is ideal.)
“In fact, low level activities play a crucial metabolic role and account for more of our daily energy expenditure than moderate-to-high intensity activities,” the website says.
OK, so before you run a marathon, work on standing more throughout your day. Some health-care providers recommend a 20-8-2 method: Sit for 20 minutes, stand for eight minutes, move around for two minutes. You’re gonna want to set that phone alarm.
Here are some more ideas:
• Get a standing desk, the surface of which should be 38-46 inches. Measure from floor to elbow and then add two inches: That’s your sweet spot. The top third of your computer monitor should be at eye level.
Too expensive? There’s lot of online advice for temporary set-ups using everything from Coke cans to Amazon boxes.
• Get an app. There are about a million, with names like StandApp and Stand Up!, that will cue you when it’s time to move and keep track of your progress—and keeping track of concrete data has been shown to increase your chances of success at anything.
• Make some new rules for yourself, like deciding only to take phone calls while standing or walking to talk to colleagues instead of emailing them.
• If you’re WFH these days, try rotating through different work stations throughout your day. Moving from guest-bedroom office to coffee shop to co-working space to front porch—or wherever you decide—will help keep that butt from getting stuck to that chair.
Just get Googling! The internet is definitely responsible for making us sit more, but it has a ton of ideas on how to take a stand on standing. Good luck, and Happy New Year!