Stand up for your health

Are you sitting comfortably? Then get up.

Sitting for extended periods has been shown by many scientific studies to be a health hazard. Whether you are stuck at a desk at work or have a habit of collapsing on the couch in front of the TV each evening, sitting for a long time without breaks is not good news for your risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

So get up.

If you can’t engineer a standing desk at work, make sure you leave your chair at frequent intervals - walk to a colleague across the office rather than sending an email, and stand while you are talking on the phone.

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If you find yourself sitting in front of the TV, stand up and walk around between programmes - you could put the remote in another room if you need a prompt. If you are browsing online, set a reminder on your device to get up and move about at intervals. Don’t let the armchair thwart your health.