Studies are coming out now indicating that prolonged sitting has negative consequences for long-term health. While exercise is beneficial, even those who exercise but sit for long periods each day will still suffer negative consequences from being sedentary. Unfortunately, those of us who work at a computer have little recourse. What to do?
Breaking up the long stretches of sedentary time will help mitigate some of the negative effects. For this purpose, I recommend getting up from the chair every 15 minutes. Ideally, a person would do a few squats or stretches. But at the very least simply standing up and moving one’s body can make the heart beat a bit faster as it compensates for the change of position and increased movement. This may well have the benefit of getting more blood to the brain so as to improve the mental part of the work.