More and more evidence is showing that sitting for long stretches at a time is not very healthy, to say the least. Sitting for long periods increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease and death, researchers suggest. And scientists from Leicester and Loughborough Universities say harm is done even if people exercise the recommended 30 minutes a day.

One journalist from the Independent decided to keep standing up all day, even at work and in the cinema. And this journalist from the Huffington Post decided to take her business meetings to the park.

Don’t just sit there, move!

Make moving around regularly a habit by connecting it to something you do anyway. So here’s the deal: Every time you get up to go to the toilet or fetch a drink or snack, do at least one short little exercise or stretch before you sit down or get back to work. Put a post-it note everywhere you can see it to remind yourself! For instance on the kettle, or on the remote, or on your pc.

Examples of exercises you can do:

While waiting for the kettle to boil or in the queue in the supermarket:

• Abs J (ask me if you want a reminder of how to do it)
• Back stretch on the counter (stand about a meter or 3 feet away from the kitchen counter, bend forward hinging from the hips, unlock your knees)
• shoulder rolls, or bring your shoulders as far forward as you can, then as far backward as you can. Then lift your shoulders as high as you can, then bring them as far down as you can.
• Stretch out your arms next to you, then bring your chest forward. Open your chest, look up as if you are deep in thought and think of something you are grateful for!

 

Home alone?

• Put on a really happy song and dance for 5-10 minutes. Dance like no-one is watching, make some crazy moves! Or let your (grand) children dance along and have a dance-off. It will make you all feel happier
• Do some dips from your kitchen chair (keep your hands on the chair, plant your feet on the ground in front of you, then bring your bum forward and down towards the ground. Repeat 10-12 times. If you are a beginner, keep your knees bent at around 90 degrees. You can make it harder by stretching your legs out further away from the chair)
• Do a couple of push-ups. The easiest version is to push up from the wall, if that is to easy you can use the kitchen counter, the seat of a chair, the ground with your knees on the floor, and if you are pretty fit, do full pushs up from the ground, or you can even put your feet on a ball to make it really hard. Aim for 12 push-ups.

 

Or on your (office or kitchen) chair:

• Knee raises
• Leg raisers (stretched leg)
• Hip stretch (put your foot on your other knee, sit up straight as if a hot air balloon pulls on your hair, then hinge forward from the hips)
• Sideways moves (while sitting on your chair, hands on your hips, then move your shoulders sideways to the left, then to the right, repeat a couple of times)
• Toes and heels (first lift your heels of the ground, then bring your heels back down and lift your toes, repeat a couple of times).

Exercise challenge for this week:
Get up from your chair at least once an hour. And whenever you get up from your chair pick one exercise from the list above and do it at least 2 minutes before you go back doing what you were doing before. (Do this at work, while watching the telly, in the train, or on the bus)

Tell me how you are getting on! I want to hear your stories. What went well? What was difficult?