Monthly Newsletter

Online Newsletter for Call Center Personnel
Rosanne D'Ausilio, Ph.D. Editor and Publisher
Volume XXII, Issue 9

Date: September 1, 2011  - Sitting Too Long?

Recent research found that women who sit for more than six hours a day had a 37% increased risk of premature death, compared to 18% for men.  Those results stayed the same even when the following were taken into account: individual diets, amount of physical activity, and smoking.

This study, lead by Dr. Alpa Patel, senior epidemiologist at the American Cancer Society, is the largest on how sitting affects mortality.  Over 123,000 people participated in the study between 1992 and 2006.

Dr Patel can’t explain and says it’s not clear why sitting may be more hazardous to men’s health.

This article woke me up.  Why?  Because I sit for long hours at my computer, long hours driving my car, and sometimes long hours in front of the TV, and I’m female.  Woops!

What can you do? 

• Part the farthest away in the parking lots and walk to your office, to the store, to the movies.

• Go into the bank instead of the drive-through. 

• Stand while talking on the phone.  

• Take the stairs instead of the elevator, especially going down.

• Get up and do something every hour even if it’s only to walk to the water cooler.

•  At night at home, get up to change the channel on the TV (do we even know how?)

• When possible, instead of emailing a colleague, walk to their office or cubicle. 

• Move the printer or the garbage so you have to get up and walk to use either one.

By the way office furniture manufacturers are paying attention to this research.  There are now treadmill desks and chairs are being made out of fitness balls.

By the way, if you add 5 minutes of activity to your day every hour, at the end of a 10-hour workday it’s almost an hour you’ve added.

Some of these suggestions are also ones we've used for stress.  No coincidence, sitting for long periods is stressful.           

We love to hear from you. Please email me rosanne@human-technologies.com  your comments, feedback, questions, your own experiences, or topics you’d like to see covered in future newsletters.
 

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