I am the first to admit that I have a bit of a sweet tooth and like to indulge in chocolate more often than not. However, I try to eat healthy most days and am aware of the importance of a balanced diet and regular exercise.

However, regular exercise is often difficult to achieve, due to working hours and other life commitments. I recently read an article that stated that we spend approximately 95, 000 hours at work over a lifetime. The article read on to say that we are sitting down for most of our average eight hour work day and are sitting down for longer than we did a generation ago! In addition to of us sitting down at work, we are also sitting down at home in front of the TV/Computer! Combine that with seven to eight hours of sleeping, we spend nearly 18-19 hours sedentary. So the question has to be asked, how we incorporate activity into our work day, as we are spending a major of our time sitting down at work!

There have been numerous studies published that have come out to say that sitting is slowly killing us and is putting us more and more at risk of illness and disease! A TED talk author Nilofer Merchant has been quoted as saying that “sitting is the new smoking”. As a result she has founded a movement that encourages standing on the job, and encourages business meetings to combine walking and talking to decrease the amount of physical inactivity in the workplace.

In acknowledgement that we are sitting for longer periods of time, there have been a range of campaigns and tips to encourage healthy change in the workplace that can result in making your work life a happier, healthier and more productive experience.

Various work places have now incorporated “standing desks”. Standing desks are a growing trend that encourages employees to get out of their chairs and stand up on the job. Other workplaces have also enforced health programs that encourage employees to stand up every 50mins and do a lap of the office, or do light stretches, to combat inactivity, with the objective to vary your position throughout the day.

Workforce health programs have been shown to improve the health and wellbeing of employees. So if you are sitting down all day every day at work, remember the importance of getting up every now and then and stretching. Even ask your boss to install a standing desk!

Written by Natassja Ford