Sedentary Office Life: Stifling Growth through Corporate Wellness

Stress, long working hours, and physical inactivity are one of the main reasons for various lifestyle-based ailments. This kind of sedentary work-life can be dangerous to your health and here comes the need of corporate wellness. It is a company’s attempt to build a healthy workplace for their hardworking employees by combining several health activities in their daily routine. Thus the less you sit down the better your chances of living a healthy life. Prolonged seating in offices often lead to a sedentary lifestyle, which increases your chance of being overweight, developing diabetes or heart disease, and experiencing depression and anxiety.

Studies show that due to the sedentary lifestyle, organizations lost around 1 trillion dollars per year because of lower productivity which is a very serious issue for both the employees and the employers and thus in these days working environment we need corporate wellness programs for ourselves.

How does prolonged seating in offices can affect your body?

1. Sitting for prolonged hours can shave years off your life. Apart from aches and pain in the body, it can lead to an early death. If you sit for long hours then there is a risk of developing various diseases such as muscular-skeletal disorders, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, etc.

2. Regularly slouching in your chair can lead to an increase in weight as when you spend a lot of time sitting then your digestion is not as efficient as it should be. Therefore, you tend to retain fats and sugars as fat in your body. 

3. According to a research commuting more than 10 miles by a car can lead to high blood sugar and can also increase the risk of depression and anxiety. Thus one should always try to remain physically active most of the time.

4. If you keep sitting for long hours your hips and back will not support you and can cause your hip flexor muscles to shorten, which can further lead to problems with your hip joints. Poor posture can also cause spinal health problems such as compression in the discs in your spine, which can be very painful.

5. A sedentary lifestyle can also have a negative effect on your mental health. This can increase the risk of both anxiety and depression because people who spend a lot of time sitting are missing the positive effects of physical activity and fitness. 

6. Another health risk that is associated with a sedentary lifestyle is the risk of being diabetic. Lying in bed or sofa for more than 2 days can lead to increased insulin resistance in your body which will result in diabetes.

These were some of the major health risks that are associated with sitting for prolonged hours. However, there are many ways through which you can avoid these health problems apart from using corporate wellness program. Some of them are as follows:

• Reach your home or office by cycling or walking. Try to avoid the use of a car. 
• Avoid using the elevators, instead, use the stairs.
• Park your car farther and walk the rest of the way.
• Always choose active entertainment over passive entertainment.
• Fidgeting, stretching, and another non-exercise movement during the work breaks can help you in a number of ways.

If you want to know more about the ways to overcome the health risks of a sedentary lifestyle then you can contact us today. We are always ready to help you. You can also choose to book a preventive healthcare consultation session at Aanya Wellness to get personalized and preventive healthcare solutions to all of your problems.