Don’t sit, your life may depend on it.
In most workplaces today, employees sit. We sit on our drive in to the office, we rush to our desk and sit, we sit while eating our lunch, and we sit during meetings.
But what is all this sitting really doing to us?
Well first of all, meetings that are held sitting down are typically 34% longer than those held standing up. Sitting is taking up our prescious time. Imagine getting almost 3 hours back in your day if we encouraged each other to stand versus sit!
Furthermore, it’s squashing our creativity. A Stanford study showed that many people do their best thinking while walking. In fact, you are two times more likely to come up with a new idea than if you were to be sitting stagnant in a chair!
To really scare us, many doctors are defining sitting as a lethal activity. Epidemiologists are predicting that on average people who sit too much shave a few years off their lives. We can’t ignore the fact that an action so natural as sitting is having such a negative impact on our minds and bodies.
It’s time we put an end to all of this sitting and stand up for ourselves! While corporate politics and culture norms may prevent you from standing in some situations, I encourage you to take control of the time you are choosing to sit instead of stand. Spark your own creativity, get some time back in your day, and most importantly, put your own wellbeing first. Stand up!
Here are a few tips to take with you:
- If you plan on scheduling a walking meeting with your employee, peer, or a small team, let them know in advance so they can wear the right attire.
- Next time somebody walks into your office, don’t offer a seat. Instead, stand up and chat!
- On the contrary, if somebody offers you a seat, simply explain you need the extra movement and you’d like to stand. It’s only for a few minutes anyway, right?
- Set a reminder to stand up and walk to spark creativity throughout your day.
- Purchase an adjustable desk – it’ll be a worthwhile investment!
For more unique ideas for the workplace or tips to help inspire your workforce, contact info@zen4.co. Feel free to comment with any other ideas you may have!