Woman & Home Feel Good You – September 2019

ONE THING HEALTH

If you only do one thing

STAND UP!

The Lean Exec (£10.99, Bigger Brother)

S

itting down for six hours

a day is contributing to the

deaths of up to 70,000 people

in the UK every year, according to

new research*. So why is something

as seemingly simple as standing up

so important to our health?



THE DANGERS OF SITTING

Our bodies are not designed to

be sat down all day. Founder of The

Lean Exec (theleanexec.com) Neill

David Watson explains, ‘Research

shows that sitting for extended periods

raises your risk of heart disease,

diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure,

high cholesterol, dementia

and potentially even early

death.’ He adds, ‘Frequent

exercise sessions won’t

completely counter the

negative effects of

sitting, so it’s crucial

that we take regular

breaks and avoid

long periods sitting

at a desk or in front

of the TV.’



MAKE A CHANGE

Neill recommends aiming

for an average of 45-6 0 minutes

of movement each day. ‘This

movement could be as

simple as a walk to the

kitchen to make a cup

of tea or choosing to

go to a colleague’s

desk to discuss work

matters rather than

over email,’ says

Neill. It could even

be simply getting up

for a few minutes and

stretching in a quiet corner.

‘The key thing is to keep active.’

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2

HOURS

That’s how much

standing Public Health

England recommend we

do at work per day,

minimum.