Health Gem

If You Do One Thing This Week . . . Stand Up For Yourself

Are you sitting comfortably? Then get up.

Research suggests that habitually sitting for long periods can not only encourage weight gain, but may also be associated with an increased risk of developing conditions like diabetes.

The link needs further study, but in the meantime, there’s no harm swapping sitting for standing or walking if you are physically able to.

If you sit at a desk all day, can you raise its height and stand instead? It doesn’t always involve heavy engineering: at home I often put my laptop on the ironing board and stand at it. Can you walk around while on the phone, or visit an office colleague instead of e-mailing a message? If you drive a lot, what about frequent breaks to get out of the vehicle and straighten your legs? If you are sitting reading, try to get up and stretch between chapters.

Once you get into the habit, you may find you enjoy taking a stand against sitting.