I heard a Paleohacks podcast the other day called “The Sitting Solution” that addressed the “sitting pandemic”. Apparently people are sitting for way too long. Some people spend more than 9 hours a day sitting, that’s longer than time spent on sleeping!

When you think about it, it’s true. We do sit a lot: we sit at our desks all day at work. When we get home, we sit in front of the TV or the computer. We sit to relax and do work. Sitting for too long is associated with inactivity, immobility and poor posture, all of which can lead to back pain, heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. No wonder sitting is touted as the new smoking. I guess too much of anything is a bad thing.One thing my lecturers warned us about during uni years is that vets will be on their feet all day. I had worked in retail so my legs were already trained to endure long hours standing and moving around. Indeed, if you are in the veterinary field, you’ll know what I mean. The only times we get to sit down is when we type up our histories or eat lunch, and that’s if we’re having a lucky day! Since I work less now as a vet, and chose to spend more time at home with bub, I reflected on how many hours I spend sitting down… Turns out, still not a lot! The only times I sit are when I’m eating or driving. The rest of the time, I’m standing, or on the move. In fact, I’m typing this whilst standing.The standing/walking work station “treadmill desk” is gaining more and more traction. I can definitely see its appeal, especially when Victoria Beckham showed us how it’s done, in her 9 inch heels! Although she’s not actually walking I’m sure… I can’t imagine myself being able to concentrate whilst trying to clock 10,000 steps at the same time. I’m totally for sitting when I need to do more intensive work and standing for the less demanding tasks. So before you rush out and order in your walking desk, here are a few easy and practical changes you can make in your life to help you reduce sitting time whilst increase your productivity:

1. Take more and short breaks – work for 90 minutes then walk for 5 minutes. Go to the bathroom, make a tea, go say hello to your colleague instead of sending them an email. Just get up and stretch your legs. You’ll feel great and think clearer.2. Don’t spend your entire lunch break at your desk – if you bring lunch to work, take it elsewhere to eat it, be it outside in the sunshine or in the communal kitchen if it’s raining. If you eat out for lunch, take the stairs or go to the furthest cafe you can to grab/eat your lunch to maximise your activity levels.3. At home, do something active whilst watching TV: stretch, cook, bake (my favourite), dance, anything from the HIIT list, or just simply walk around. The possibilities are endless.4. Put your laptops somewhere taller than your desk – mine is usually on the kitchen bench (except in this shoot) so I’m forced to stand to work and not spend too long in front of the screen.  A taller work station also keeps little grubby fingers at bay… Oh, and I don’t keep the power cord plugged in. This way, I only have a finite time to do my work and the laptop battery lasts longer!

Vintage Jumper // Karen Millen Linited Edition Leather Skirt // Tony Bianco Heels

Photos by Karen Woo

So, my dear friend, I challenge you to stand up (and move around) more. And while you’re at it, why not stand for a cause too? We were made to stand, and to stand for something!