who also sit for hours. In other words, that heart-pumping morn-ing
run won’t decrease your risk of disease if you spend the bulk of
the day and evening in a chair.
“One study indicated that if most people would spend less than
three hours per day sitting, it would add two years to the average
life expectancy,” said Harper.
CAN YOU REDUCE THE EFFECTS OF
SITTING DISEASE?
The research is certainly disquieting, but there are strategies to
help decrease the health risks associated with doing your job in a
chair every day.
“The standard answer is that you have to move more,” said
Harper. “But it’s more than just getting up and sitting down again.”
He says it’s actually the loss of our experience with gravity due
to being sedentary that impacts our health the most. He treats
some patients with “whole body vibration” in his office – a tech-nique
used by the Russian space program to help slow down and
reverse aging – which essentially changes a person’s gravitational
force for a few moments at a time.
To achieve a similar effect, jumping might be the answer.
“Getting up and hopping up and down changes the body posi-tion
but also the gravitational experience the body has in the chair.
It’s a simple strategy that works well.”
Giovanna Boniface, managing director of the Canadian
Association of Occupational Therapists, BC chapter, agrees that
regular movement is critical for people who sit for long periods
of time. She suggests using time management to make sure those
“movement breaks” happen at work.
“Everyone needs to get up to do incidental walking, whether it’s
to go to the photocopier, the washroom or to get coffee,” she said.
“I recommend looking at all the different things you do in a day
and staggering those activities to ensure you’re getting up a couple
of times an hour. Organize your day to make sure you’re moving
regularly.”
If you lose track of time by becoming engrossed in your work,
Boniface suggests setting a timer on your computer to remind
yourself to get up, move and stretch.
“For some of our patients we have to install a break timer on
their computer that has a stretch built in. Each break stretches a
different part of the body so that over the course of the day, they’ve
gotten several stretches.”
Standing workstations are recent additions to some workplaces,
but Boniface and Harper agree that standing in one position for a
long period of time is equivalent to sitting.
“It’s really about the change in what happens when you walk,
jump up and down, shake out your legs, stretch and move the body
around,” said Harper.
HOW CAN HR HELP?
Creating a culture that values health and wellness is key to foster-ing
a healthy workforce. In fact, the World Health Organization
advises that the workplace is the ideal place to educate people
about the impact of sedentary lifestyles.
health & wellness
“EVERYONE NEEDS TO GET UP TO DO
INCIDENTAL WALKING … ORGANIZE
YOUR DAY TO MAKE SURE
YOU’RE MOVING REGULARLY.”
– GIOVANNA BONIFACE, MANAGING DIRECTOR, CANADIAN
ASSOCIATION OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS, BC CHAPTER
Sebastian Kaulitzki/Shutterstock
You’re Invited
Because sitting is something that we will never be able to avoid, dealing with the
consequences of chronic sedentary behaviour must be proactive. The workplace
– where many of us sit for hours on end – is the place to begin this conversation.
The first annual Move to Live® Corporate Wellness Challenge is being scheduled
for early September 2014. The corporate community in the Toronto area will have
the opportunity to come together to support and learn more about workplace well-ness
in a fun, friendly environment. The first event will be an evening of five or 10-pin
bowling; bowling is a social and simple active sport that enables all to participate,
regardless of athletic ability or skill level. There is no individual cost to partici-pate
and food will be provided. Lanes are available for corporate sponsorship, and
bowler pledges will support a local charity whose focus is one affected by chronic
sedentary behaviour, yet to be confirmed.
For more information, call 905-629-0688 or email
Dr. Dave Harper at drdave@mosaiclifecare.com.
48 ❚ JULY/AUGUST 2014 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL