The Importance of Standing Up For Your Health

Sitting for prolonged periods on a regular basis can seriously impact your health. It increases the risk of conditions like obesity, heart diseases, diabetes, and even premature mortality. The prime reason for sitting being harmful for health is that sitting cuts out physical activity. It therefore burns lesser energy and causes weight gain in the first place which later gives rise to many conditions. This article discusses how sitting is bad for health and why you should stand more often, how standing and moving is beneficial for health and how you should include more ways into your work schedule so that health and work both do not suffer.

Introduction

Standing up for something means raising your voice in support of an idea, a person or the like, especially when it is not getting the recognition it should. This is exactly what this article is about – standing up for your health, literally as well as metaphorically. By standing up it means sitting for less time. The time we spend sitting on our desks is counted as sedentary i.e. no activity is done during that time. The more sedentary a person has, the higher are his chances of developing diseases affecting his whole body. The most obvious disorder is becoming overweight or even obese, which in turn puts extra pressure on the joints, causing back pain and arthritis; an extra load on the blood and the cardiovascular system, causing heart disease and vascular disease. It has also been linked with illnesses such as depression and memory loss.

Sitting is primarily a problem for the individuals whose work is such that they have to sit at desks for all their work hours. It becomes even worse if the sitting is in front of a computer because then in addition to the above stated conditions the person also gets eye disorders, postural deformities and even migraines. Sitting harms health in the following ways:

• Musculo – Skeletal Conditions : Sitting at a chair reduces blood circulation in the legs, as it especially cuts it off at the knees where the arteries are pressed against the chair. This gives rise to vascular conditions in the lower legs. Lack of movement in the knees also causes them to lose some functionality over time. At a desk the person’s arms and wrists also do not move much, with only fingers doing most of the work and them eventually being overused. The posture of a person sitting at a desk in front of a computer screen is usually extremely poor, eventually causing diseases of the spine like frozen shoulders and cervical immobility, backache in various sections of the spine, etc.
• Sensory Conditions : the eyes of a person sitting in front of a computer screen usually do not move much and constantly keep switching between bright monitors and dull papers or black computer accessories. Thus the person is likely to develop vision defects.
• Metabolic Conditions : sitting for 8-10 hours a day and eating, sipping tea and having snacks on the desk itself makes the person eventually gain weight. People doping such jobs get so soaked in their work that they forget moving even while being seated at their desks. Usually the workspaces where such jobs are done are separated by cabins and this further increases a person’s likelihood to overeat, because there is no distraction from food. In such cases the person develops many metabolic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, etc.
• Cardiovascular Conditions : Keep sitting for long durations not only overloads the blood vessels with excess fat, glucose and cholesterol but also makes the heart lazy since it doesn’t have to work hard for anything, it knows that the person is not going to do any activity and the heart becomes lazy and thus overworked. It leads to abnormal heart rate which itself can take the form of many life threatening conditions of the heart. Reduced blood circulation in the legs puts the individual at the risk of developing vascular diseases such as deep vein thrombosis and blood pooling.
• Mental And Nervous Disorders : Being glued to a heap of files or a computer screen inside a boxy cabin poses threat to mental and nervous health of an individual. People having to work in such circumstances may develop frustration, stress, anxiety, anger management issues, tension, lack of expression and understanding, and even depression, Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss.

The Benefits of Standing Up

On the other hand, standing up and moving a littlein between working hours is a great way to avoid many diseases. By standing up
and taking little breaks you can also get the following benefits:

• You can avoid excess weight gain: weight is gained when calories consumed are more than calories burnt. Our body burns calories even when we are not doing anything. But, that’s not enough to balance all the calories we gain from the foods we eat. If you stand up for short durations during work and take small steps around the disk itself, you can burn additional calories.
• You can avoid sugar spikes: after we eat anything or consume our blood sugar levels rise instantly. When we sit in
  a chair all day and have our tea, lunch and even snacks at the same seat, our blood glucose or sugar level spikes are not
  resolved as they could if we were moving a little here and there. In fact, we suggest that to keep blood sugar spikes in check, one should keep alternating from standing to sitting after every few minutes to maintain physical activity.
• You can prevent heart diseases: the heart works hard when we stand or move. People who do standing jobs such as chefs, waiters, bus conductors, school teachers, cleaners and gardeners, and the like, have a lesser susceptibility to developing heart diseases.
• You can avoid back pain: while sitting in a chair we are more likely to hunch our backs and strain our necks. Prolonged sitting puts the spine in a bad position which in turn causes back pain that becomes chronic. Standing up increases one’s consciousness and improves posture. It can help reduce chronic back pain in the long term and even prevent it altogether.
• You can avoid stress and anxiety: while sticking to one seat a person is not able to manage a lot of work because the overall energy level of a person is the least while sitting and working. Standing up for work can greatly improve one’s mood and the willingness to finish tasks.
• You can be more productive: standing up while working or during breaks can break laziness and monotony. It can also increase alertness and prevent afternoon drowsiness. Improved alertness means lesser errors and better quality of work. Thus overall
  productivity can be improved if some work is done while standing up.
• You may live longer: sedentary lifestyle, or particularly sedentary working hours put you at the risk of all the conditions that are mentioned above. By standing up you can not only avoid these but you may also live longer – and healthier.

How To Increase Standing and Movement During The Day

Try incorporating these tips into your daily routine to reduce sedentary time, improve your health, and prevent the development of lifestyle-related diseases—especially during work hours:

• Use a standing desk.Opt for a desk of suitable height that allows you to stand and work comfortably for short periods throughout the day.
• Drink enough water: Staying hydrated supports healthy circulation and keeps your energy levels up.
• Stretch regularly: Gently stretch different parts of your body in between tasks to reduce stiffness and improve flexibility.
• Pack a healthy tiffin: Bringing nutritious meals to work helps you avoid unhealthy snacking and stay energized.
• Move during your lunch break: Take at least 10 minutes to walk or stretch during lunch to break up long sitting periods.
• Use the stairs: Skip the elevator and take the stairs whenever possible to increase daily movement.
• Refresh your eyes: Wash your eyes or take short screen breaks to reduce strain.
• Maintain proper distance from your screen: Ensure your monitor is at eye level and not too close to avoid neck and eye strain.
• Check your posture: Sit upright with your back supported and feet flat on the ground to prevent long-term posture issues.
• Let in natural light: Open windows or blinds to allow sunlight in, which boosts mood and alertness.
• Limit tea or coffee: Avoid overconsumption of caffeine, which can lead to dehydration or restlessness.
• Replace faulty equipment: Discard or repair hardware that requires excessive effort to use, as it can cause strain.
• Use an ergonomic chair: Choose a chair with proper back support and a height that aligns with your desk and computer screen.
• Take walking breaks: Stand up and walk around for a few minutes every hour to keep your circulation active.

Conclusion

Sitting for long hours poses multiple health risks and should not be taken lightly. For those in jobs that require prolonged desk work, it’s essential to incorporate some level of physical activity during working hour Not only does this help normalize calorie expenditure, but it also reduces the risk of eye strain, migraines, and poor posture-related issues. Taking short standing breaks can be especially beneficial—it shifts your viewing angle away from the screen, relieves eye fatigue, and improves blood circulation in the legs, which often suffer from reduced flow while sitting. Therefore, standing up and moving around at regular intervals is highly recommended for maintaining both physical and mental well-being throughout the workday.