Staying Active At Work | Video

Julie Leonardi | 1/15/2013

Brenda Orvik is lucky to have a job where she`s constantly on the move, but for those stuck at desk jobs, it can affect your health, "We`re up and down ladders, we`re walking around, and we’re running to get things from the back room."

Ellie Word, physical therapist, said, according to the study; “People that are sitting longer throughout their day, just regular exercise isn`t enough, you have to be more active throughout your day."

The new study shows that walking around at work burns more calories than someone running 35 miles a week. Constant sitting can affect your posture and cause other problems. "You have your increased risk of high cholesterol, you can also have increased risk for muscle stiffness, decreased balance and mobility, and then also you can end up getting lower back pain, hip pain, and neck pain as well," said Word.

Even exercising 30 minutes a day doesn`t reverse the negative side effects of sitting all day. Although we`re working out the same amount of time as we were years ago, now it`s all about the sitting. "It`s that increased time that we`re sitting at our desks, we`re not walking around more, we have become a more dependent society upon cars, upon elevators, and all that instead of walking around."

But there are more ways to be active at work. "Standing during telephone calls, if you can do that. Walking around, getting up once an hour. If you have a co-worker that you need to talk to in your building, go and talk to them instead of calling them.”

Now get up and move a little, before you get too comfy in that chair.

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