Getting up at work is "good for the heart!

Getting up at work is "good for the heart!

With the increasing number of computer and telephone related jobs you may find yourself stuck behind your office desk for many hours at a time. However, new research suggests that if you can interject these prolonged seating periods with standing up and stretching your legs then your heart will thank you. Taking lots of short minute length breaks throughout the day was not only shown to help your heart but can also help keep your waist size under control.

Barack Obama sitting at the Resolute desk

The study looked at 4,757 adults aged 20 years old and over by Dr Healy and his colleagues who were conducting the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survery between 2003 and 2006. Each participant carried out their normal daily routine while wearing a small walking and running sensor to monitor movements during the day. The study also took measurements of blood fats, waist circumference, cholesterol levels and and blood pressure.

The study which was presented in the European Heart Journal further confirms the idea that sitting down for long periods of time is bad for your health. The study noted that those who sit for longer periods of time tended to have larger waistlines and lower levels of the good HDL cholesterol. Lead researcher Dr Healy said, "Our research showed that even small changes, which could be as little as standing up for one minute, might help to lower this health risk."

"It is likely that regular breaks in prolonged sitting time could be readily incorporated into the working environment without any detrimental impact on productivity, although this still needs to be determined by further research.Stand up, move more, more often' could be used as a slogan to get this message across."

Amy Thompson, a senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation gave the following advice; "If you're in the office, walk to someone's desk instead of sending an e-mail and avoid the lift by taking the stairs.Regular physical activity is essential to protect cardiovascular health."

Top Tips to Maintain a Healthy Heart at Work

Take the stairs instead of the lift when going to and from your office

Walk across the office to see a colleague instead of phoning or emailing

Stand up when taking telephone calls

Move bins and printers to an area where you need to walk to them

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