Get-Fit Guy’s Tips for Sitting Less
For both children and adults, it’s important to take breaks from extended sedentary time. Learn Get-Fit Guy’s techniques for staying in tip-top shape.
Ben Greenfield
I recently tweeted (from my standing workstation):
“It’s not as much about how long you sit during the day as it is how much PROLONGED unbroken sitting time you have.”
I was referring in this case to both a recent article in Runner’s World and also a study on children and prolonged sitting. While I already knew and have written about how important taking breaks from sitting is for adults, I wasn’t really sure if it mattered so much for kids. After all – aren’t their metabolisms higher?
It turns out that even in children, the frequency of breaks from sedentary time (e.g. getting up from sitting and moving around or standing) was correlated with decreased markers of cardiometabolic risk. This was independent of the total amount of time spent sitting during the day.
This means that if one child sits for 6 hours a day, but does so over a period of 8 hours, with four 30-minute activity breaks, and another child sits for 6 hours a day with no activity breaks, the first child will be healthier. And of course – the same holds true for adults! If you can stand up every hour and do something like a handful of jumping jacks or body weight squats, you’ll be healthier than your co-workouts or classmates – even if by the end of the day you all accumulate the same amount of sitting time.
If you really want to take this principle to the next level, look into the “The Pomodoro Technique” of working, which is a time management technique in which you take a 5-minute break for every 25 minutes you are working. I also implement this technique quite frequently into my work day.
So what are some other ways that you (or your children) can stand more? Check out the episode “7 Ways To Stand More” and begin to implement those tips into your daily routine!
If you have more questions about sitting then leave them over at https://www.Facebook.com/GetFitGuy.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock
About the Author
Ben Greenfield received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Idaho in sports science and exercise physiology; personal training and strength and conditioning certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA); a sports nutrition certification from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), an advanced bicycle fitting certification from Serotta. He has over 11 years’ experience in coaching professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes from all sports, and as helped hundreds of clients achieve weight loss and fitness success.