70 percent of all Opower employees have a standing desk just to avoid the detrimental impacts of sitting for long periods.
Carleigh Graves, who works for the Virginia software company, said her first-week standing was a bit of a challenge because her feet hurt. However, the Opower employee doesn’t feel any more pain.
According to health experts, people should stand more as a new study reveals that too much sitting increases the chance of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. A lot of people also believe that sitting for a long time, with a bad posture, can cause them to develop spine conditions, like scoliosis.
Sitting for long periods impacts spine alignment
However, that might not be the case. It’s believed that if an individual already has the condition, sitting for long periods can worsen spine alignment. It can be difficult for people with scoliosis to sit comfortably. If any sufferers find it painful to sit, it might be time to learn more about some of the available treatments to try and minimize pain.
Dr. David Alter, who works at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, said even 30 to 60 minutes of exercise each day doesn’t give enough assurance that sitting down for the remainder of 23 hours is okay to do.
Alter said every person needs to make the necessary effort to get moving. He authored the study, which found that the health risks of sitting down were worse for folks who don’t participate in any kind of physical activity.
Alter said taking stairs or walking the dog could have a profound effect on people’s health.
Comfy office chairs
Researchers looked back to various studies on sedentary behavior to draw up their own conclusions. They’ve concluded that the health risks are worse for people who sit for eight to nine hours a day. This applies to most office staff. However, sitting for long periods of time can be made easier with one of these comfy office chairs.
Although staff still need to get up and about, replacing office chairs every now and then might also make a difference if some staff are complaining of back pain. Due to the long hours, research has suggested people who work at a sit-down job need to get up every 30 minutes and walk around for one to three minutes.
If the pain becomes unbearable then perhaps, they should consider trying natural products like kushmail Canada for an alternative solution to pain relief. Sure, it’s not for everyone but it’s all about finding what works best for you.
Burning calories
Experts say more calories are burned when standing than when they are sitting. The health of employees needs to be a focal point in a company care system. Putting together a benefits package for them to look at, such as employee benefits Zenefits, can show them what type of healthcare they are eligible for.
