9 ways to break up with your sitting routine
Bottom line: Please stand up!
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“An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion.” Anyone else having high school flashbacks? While there’s no final exam here, Newton definitely had a point. And with so many of us sitting more than ever these days (#WFHlife), it’s easy to look up and realize we’ve been sitting for hours...until something (like a quick water or bathroom break) forces us to break up that sameness and stand up. Since sitting less helps us feel better and improves our health, we can arrange our space and create guidelines throughout the day to help us get up more.
3 fast facts
Studies show that sitting for long periods of time can increase our risk for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer. (This is true even if we exercise regularly.) Sitting less can reduce these risks.
The way our environment is set up has a big influence on the amount of time we spend sitting. What helps? Rearranging our spaces in ways that encourage us to sit less.
Many of our daily routines are habitual—we barely even notice that we do them. When we become more aware of the habits that lead to us sitting for long periods of time, we can begin to build new habits that make us get up.
Try this technique
Think about when you tend to sit the most—and use the ideas below (or create your own!) to help ditch an all-day sitting routine.
Set daily “stand up” reminders in your calendar.
Have another video meeting? Switch locations—even if it’s just across the room.
Ditch setting family-style meals on the table all at once. Instead, grab each course separately from the kitchen.
Leave an alarm set in another room during TV time so you’re forced to get up to turn it off.
Break up a long day of work, parenting, or just straight “adulting” with a quick five-minute stretch break.
Text and stand. Challenge yourself to only respond to phone convos while you’re up.
Do you have more than one bathroom at home? Make it a guideline to always use the one farthest away.
Sure, it might look a little silly, but cover your couch with books so you have to actively think before you sit!
The more you drink, the more you move either to get more water or to, well, release more water.