by
Laura
Possibly
the one single transformation that is to blame for the poor present
physical condition of many Americans is the computer revolution in
the 1990s that made the computer the focus of most office jobs, and
many other types of workplaces as well. Suddenly workers were doing
nothing but SITTING in front of monitors most of the day. And rather
than rush to exercise once off work, they went home and sat in front
of the television for another four hours.
Since
the 1950s, there has been a 60 percent reduction of workers in
occupations that require moderate to intense activity. Some
statistics equate sitting 9 or more hours a days with smoking a pack
and a half of cigarettes, in terms of heart health.
In
an attempt to reverse some of that, a few companies are experimenting
with standing work stations. They even have stand-up meetings.
A
Minneapolis company that starting a program to stand more during the
work day found that as a side benefit, it reduced upper back and neck
pain by over half.
There
are a few different models of sit-stand workstations and sit-stand
programs offered in the marketplace, but I would like to pass on some
info about the Ergotron, since that is the one I have the most data
about. Ergotron offers an online Sitting-Time Calculator at
sittingtime.juststand.org. It calculates how much you are sitting but
also offers tips on how to reduce cardiovascular risks associated
with sitting too much.
Anyway,
it's a movement that is spreading slowly, either through hardware –
adaptive stand-sit work stations – or through software – such as
the Hotseat phone app that schedules activity breaks during your work
day. (Get more information about the latter at http://gethotseatapp.com/)
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