Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Writer Health Alert

Are you sitting too much at your desk, tapping away, refusing to take breaks because the muse is moving you? Stop. Get up. Get moving. Go get yourself that cup of coffee, touch your toes, mull over what you're writing, stretch, and then get back to the page. Do this every 45 minutes. Why?

Because sitting for long periods of time isn't healthy. We probably know this. But did you know that promising to exercise after you're done sitting that long isn't going to solve your problem?

Jurgen Wolff in his excellent blog
Time to Write found an intriguing article from a British newspaper on why sitting so long is bad for you.

"Office workers beware: long periods of sitting at your desk may be a killer. Scientists have identified a new threat from our sedentary lifestyles that they call "muscular inactivity."

Sitting still for long periods of time leads to the build up of substances in the blood that are harmful to health. And exercise alone won’t shift them.

Dr Ekblom-Bak said: “Everyone knows about the health benefits of regular exercise. But what we have not been alerted to before is that long periods sitting down carries an extra risk that cannot be dealt with by taking exercise. There are a growing number of studies that show this.”

Read the whole article here. And get moving!

11 comments:

  1. I really need to get moving. My day job is behind a computer all day, then I run home and live behind my laptop!

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  2. Tamika - Same here. Maybe set your email program's alarm to go off every 45 minutes as a reminder?

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  3. Anonymous12:48 PM

    Off to do just that! Thank you!

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  4. They mentioned this on the radio the other day. I usually get up regularly - out of sheer boredom at work, or because I've run out of tea, coffee or latte when writing. :)

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  5. Totally agree!I can't sit for too long anyways as my neck starts to hurt. Hope your day is good!

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  6. Excellent advice and one that cannot ever be forgotten! I sit for long times at my desk and I really have to come up with an idea to remind myself of this. An internet alarm sounds like a great idea.

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  7. I'll have to try the internet alarm, too. I didn't know this--thanks for the heads-up, Melissa!

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  8. You make a very good point. I sit in front of a computer at work for about 8 hours a day, then come home and do the same for another three. Not healthy at all.

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