There has been much talk about the importance of physical activity in the workplace and the stress our bodies endure if we sit for extended periods of time or do not take regular exercise. From Carole Spiers, Chair of ISMA*, Founder of National Stress Awareness Day.

As the digital nation expands we are only seeing more sedentary behaviours and activities., comments on The Lancet study on physical inactivity. Prolonged sitting is not natural for humans. We were made to move” says Carole. “The effects of sitting, as The Lancet suggests, can be dire and not only have an effect on our overall health, but also, more worryingly, on our life span, potentially reducing it by 60 percent!” As a nation, we should stop complaining about our tube journey and enjoy it. It is lengthening our life!  Standing up throughout the journey – and even looking forward to it- and then walking to the office can be used as gentle exercise in itself, and you can even try and do a bit of tube standing and stretching! 

If you are one of the thousands of desk job workers who sit for most of the day, then any time spent standing or walking is beneficial – it doesn’t need to be strenuous or bring on a sweat. Stand on the train, stand on the bus, walk up the escalators and take the stairs instead of the lift, walk to get your lunch and if you can walk over to your colleague rather than send an email. At the end of the day, walk home if you can but if not use the train journey or the bus journey back to your benefit! Children should not be left out of the equation either. Too many youngsters are also sitting for prolonged periods of time, whether it be at school or in front of an ipad or the TV, which can be just as fatal in later life.

Ensure your children are doing the same and get them out in the garden after school, or playing with their toys or friends instead of using a machine. A good practise is to encourage children to clean their own rooms or help with the household chores – which can be healthier for them and useful for you! Our nation will be £1.7bn richer each year if we get moving. The more movement we can give our bodies the less stressed we will be, the healthier we will be and it now seems, the longer we will live.”