Take a Stand Against Your Desk, Its So Old School...

Take a Stand Against Your Desk, Its So Old School... News flash:  desks with standard chairs are old news. If youve been on LinkedIn recently, chances are youve been bombarded with videos and images of  the new in-thing standing desks. But I witnessed something on LinkedIn that has changed my outlook on desks forever: Chuck away your Ikea  PÃ…HL desk, and invest in something thats wheelie going to effect your health and wellbeing. A giant hamster wheel. All jokes aside, in recent years, people have really started noticing  the negative effects of sitting at a desk all day. And its true a study conducted by the AMA (American Medical Association) found that sitting for extended periods of time can be bad for your health. So  my office chair can kill? There are many effects that sitting down all day can have on your body. There are the noticeable ones such as a stiff neck, a slower metabolism and weight gain. But there are numerous more shocking implications that staying seated can bring (source) : Sitting at a desk all day can nearly double your risk of having a heart attack. Now thats some serious stuff. It can increase your risk of diabetes a lifelong, serious condition. “For people who sit most of the day, their risk of heart attack is about the same as smoking.” ~ Martha Grogan, Cardiologist, Mayo Clinic Obese people sit for 2.5 more hours than slim people. Modes of attack: If youre desk chair is out to kill, its important you fight back with equal measures. Here are some minor changes that can help you ensure youre chair doesnt harm your health: Mini: Leave your desk once an hour for 5 minutes. Youll not only energise your body, but youll reinvigorate your mind, too. Adjust your chair to a 135degree angle. This will take the strain off your neck. Interrupt your sitting whenever you can. Just get moving. Take the stairs whenever you can to get in that physical exercise. Have very frequent water breaks. Medium: Arrange sports days or initiatives at work to encourage movement. Why not start a Thursday evening 5-aside footie team? Ditch the cramped commute and cycle/walk to work. Introduce walking meetings instead of sitting around in a cramped meeting room, stretch those legs and get the team out on a walk around the block whilst you do your meeting. Massive: Invest in standing desks for your office. they may be expensive but theyll change productivity in your office forever. Build a giant hamster wheel to walk in whilst you work. Host an annual sports day and get your team active! Great for health and also team building. Make healthy swaps, such as swapping out the office biscuits for a bowl of fruit (probably the most outrageous suggestion on this list.) Alternative desk ideas: .@Cyberlane standing/sitting moving desk is standard, treadmill is mine excuse the mess while packing the house. pic.twitter.com/7Sh5DIihU2 Nick Craver (@Nick_Craver) June 10, 2016 The treadmill desk A treadmill desk could be the perfect way to boost your activity during the day. The only potential hazard is losing concentration, balance and being flung off the treadmill at an incredible speed. This option is great if youre multitasking. This guy built himself a human hamster wheel for the ultimate standing desk https://t.co/2ypEtfTiAs pic.twitter.com/FuvdlAYP76 Jon Oringer ?? (@jonoringer) June 15, 2016 The hamster wheel If youve got huge amounts of spare time, energy and money creating your own hamster wheel could change your life. Complete the office with water bowls and packets of seeds and, voila, youre an office of human-sized hamsters. New standing desk arrived from @Varidesk absolutely love it already. 10 mins assemble time ?? pic.twitter.com/Eiq8WUO6nk Todd Mottoâ„¢ (@toddmotto) June 9, 2016 The standing desk The simple, standing desks. No gimmicks, just results! Um, yeah Cycli is an under-desk cycle that lets you compete with your colleagues more https://t.co/m1M7gyAiaz pic.twitter.com/3V88KcsXmC Jack Phan (@JackPhan) May 23, 2016 The cycle desk The cycle desk brings sitting and cycling together. Whats your desk like? If you use a standing desk wed love to see it tweet us a photo of your desk to @UndercoverRec. Main image credit: Shutterstock