Research that was recently released has shown that all workers that have sedentary occupations are at risk and not just those that work in white collar occupations.
Generally we see those at risk from sedentary work lives are people that are stationed most of the day in front of a computer however there is a broad range of blue collar occupations that also require workers to be seated for up to 12 hours daily.
Occupations such as:
- Truck, bus or taxi drivers
- Crane operators
- Machinists
- And many more
These workers are at risk of contracting chronic diseases simply because of the lack of movement that is present in their work lives.
Warren Faneco, an Exercise Physiologist at Ballarat Community Health, maintains that movement that is done regularly is more important that actual exercise.
He said that workers in sedentary occupations need to constantly look for opportunities to move throughout the day and the aim is to create good habits that will act as a preventative against chronic disease.
For workers in this position try and:
- Stand up as often as you can it doesn’t matter if it is only for a short time it all helps to promote circulation in the body
- Move for a minimum of 2 minutes every 30 – walk fast, swing your arms
- Do be stationary when you are sitting down. Move arms, legs, ankles or anything that you can while you are seated
- Stick a reminder up at work to help you develop good habits
It is ideal to do around 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day. You may ask where will you find the time but try to exercise where you can. For instance take the stairs instead of the elevator or walk to the shop instead of drive.
Peter Cutforth is a Director at Urban E-Learning, a global elearning and web strategy firm based in George St Brisbane. Peter's interests extend to training, safety and compliance, online marketing, and Mobile Apps.
