Lee Barker is the principle physiotherapist at Alderbank Physiotherapy, in Grimsargh, near Preston, and a member of the Olympic Physiotherapy Team for London 2012.
Lee was based at the Athletes Village Medical Centre in London and was responsible for providing physiotherapy treatment and support to Olympic athletes from all over the world.
This is Lee’s first hand overview on the problems associated with sitting too much…
We want you to freeze! What’s your sitting position? We bet you anything you’re sitting hunched forward, your neck straining forward like an ostrich about to jump the gun. You might even be slumped resting your chin in your hand, the other idly scrolling the touchpad. Your wrists ache, your shoulder muscles feel sore and the lines where your stomach folds over are threatening to become etched in abs that aren’t as hard a stone. You’re not alone…far from it! Most of the UK is guilty of over-sitting. And it’s been a problem ever since people starting working at desks.
As anyone who works in an office will tell you, it can sometimes feel like we spend our lives sitting at a desk. In fact, many of us spend up to eight hours each day sat staring at our computer screens.
The seated office is a fairly new phenomenon, and it’s only been the norm since the 20th century. But it’s a practice that flies in the face of research on physical activity, which tells us that the seated, sedentary lifestyle we’ve become so accustomed to is having a serious effect on our health and wellbeing. It’s even been linked to cardiovascular problems and diabetes – conditions that are worryingly on the rise. What’s more, this prolonged inactivity is causing damage that can’t simply be undone with a cycle home from work, or an hour at the gym a couple of nights a week.
The University of Chester in the UK has been researching the standing vs sitting facts.
At iwantastandingdesk.com we’re completely behind looking after the environment for future generations whenever and wherever we can. That’s why we insisted our desk-tops are made from25000 Cyclists and us!
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is arguably the UK’s biggest killer…got us wondering here at iwantastandingdesk.com how much sedentary lifestyle contributes to it?
