Can Ikea’s new desk help curb sedentary lifestyle?

By: Editorial Team | | Published: October 29, 2014 8:08 pm

These days, most people have jobs which require them to sit at one place for long hours. This sedentary lifestyle can lead to various ailments including serious ones such as diabetes and heart disease. While we can’t always change our jobs, we can certainly make modifications like getting up from our seat every half an hour. But we often forget to do so. In order to curb this, Ikea has come up with a range of adjustable desks that can help you quit your sedentary lifestyle. The ‘Bekant’, which is a relatively affordable line of electrically-adjustable standing desks, can make you go from sitting to standing with the press of a button, the Verge reported. The desks are available at a starting rate of 489.99 dollars. (Read: Sitting for long hours adds extra fat on the hips) Also Read - Stay active to live longer: Best fitness games that can make exercise more fun

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Why sitting is the new smoking? Also Read - How your extended sitting can be detrimental to your health

If we estimate the exact time we spend sitting, it comes to around to about 10-12 hours per day. This includes driving, sitting at your workplace, relaxing at home and other such activities. Thought to be as bad for your health as smoking, the number of hours you spend sitting directly affects your health{1}. So much so, that in her book Don t Lose Out, Work Out, Rujuta Diwekar mentions that sitting predisposes you to a variety of diseases like diabetes, heart disease, high levels of cholesterol and an overall sluggish system.

Sit at your own risk!

Sitting for long hours can lead to certain disorders like chronic fatigue syndrome accompanied by anemia, insomnia, digestive problems, lethargy, etc. Apart from that, it may also give rise to inactivity stress syndrome a condition where a person suffers from stress without doing any work.

At the workplace, a sedentary lifestyle is accompanied with bad dietary habits like eating junk food, irregular eating habits or eating on the run and drinking unhealthy beverages like tea, coffee or soft drinks. This completely upsets your normal metabolic function which may lead to conditions like acidity, constipation, ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome.

Can lead to spinal problems

The way you sit or your posture can be one of the causes for spinal problems or common pains along the neck, shoulders and lower back. Bad posture or sitting the wrong way can lead to muscle strain and eventually severe back problems. Apart from that, you could also suffer from muscle and bone loss as well. This problem is no more unique to the elderly, experts have found that even in teenagers; continuous sitting can be a reason for muscle pain and bone loss. (Read: Why sitting is the new smoking)

With inputs from ANI

Photo source: Getty images

Published : October 29, 2014 8:08 pm

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