Desks that allow to stand while working on a computer are getting nods of healthy living adepts, but how do you manage the hazards of prolonged sitting if studying in a university?

Sitting for a long time is a health hazard

Too little exercise is one of the problems of our times, with corporate offering organized stretch classes during breaks in the drive to maintain health of their employees. Standing desks are another solution for those glued to screens for the duration of their work hours.

However, one group has been long overlooked in the studies — college students. They have to sit listening to professors for hours, and getting up and walking while the teacher is speaking isn’t considered acceptable.

A professor of dance from the University of California — Los Angeles got to think about this issue. Angelia Leung whose students don’t have such problems due to the nature of her classes, was considering problems in classes led by other lecturers, Science Daily reported. Leung along with Burt Cowgill from the School of Public Health at the USLA came up with some ideas that could be helpful.

Did you know how dangerous is prolonged sitting?

The most important thing as the authors point out is the awareness about the effects of sitting too long, which would explain the need to change the classroom etiquette and cultural expectations.

• Prolonged sitting is linked to heart deceases, depression, obesity, diabetes, and cancer.
• Risks are reduced substantially if there are breaks at least once an hour. However, if the person sits for a long time but exercises later, risks remain actual.
• At present, over half of students consider stretching or moving unacceptable during a classroom time.

If students and professors believed it was acceptable to move during the lecture, and did it without interruptions to the class, this would be the perfect answer to the risks posed by prolonged sitting. Not only professors should be encouraging students to move, possibly some administrative policies may be introduced regulating such activities.

Adjustable desks that are used by many companies in the offices could be another option offering more freedom to move.

Even the design of classrooms could be changed to offer more options to move around.

Surprisingly, even among people who exercised regularly, many participants of the study weren’t aware of strong health risks of prolonged sitting. For instance, it is a common belief that if you manage a 30-minute jogging session once a day, this eliminates potential risks, but it’s not true, as the facts show.

So, one thing to remember if your work or study makes you be stuck in a chair for hours, take a break to stretch and move around actively at least once an hour. This will help you to stay healthy for longer!

Desks that allow to stand while working on a computer are getting nods of healthy living adepts, but how do you manage the hazards of prolonged sitting if studying in a university?

Even among people who exercised regularly, many participants of the study weren’t aware of strong health risks of prolonged sitting.

Sitting for a long time is a health hazard

Too little exercise is one of the problems of our times, with corporate offering organized stretch classes during breaks in the drive to maintain health of their employees. Standing desks are another solution for those glued to screens for the duration of their work hours.

However, one group has been long overlooked in the studies — college students. They have to sit listening to professors for hours, and getting up and walking while the teacher is speaking isn’t considered acceptable.

A professor of dance from the University of California — Los Angeles got to think about this issue. Angelia Leung whose students don’t have such problems due to the nature of her classes, was considering problems in classes led by other lecturers, Science Daily reported. Leung along with Burt Cowgill from the School of Public Health at the USLA came up with some ideas that could be helpful.

Did you know how dangerous is prolonged sitting?

The most important thing as the authors point out is the awareness about the effects of sitting too long, which would explain the need to change the classroom etiquette and cultural expectations.

• Prolonged sitting is linked to heart deceases, depression, obesity, diabetes, and cancer.
• Risks are reduced substantially if there are breaks at least once an hour. However, if the person sits for a long time but exercises later, risks remain actual.
• At present, over half of students consider stretching or moving unacceptable during a classroom time.

If students and professors believed it was acceptable to move during the lecture, and did it without interruptions to the class, this would be the perfect answer to the risks posed by prolonged sitting. Not only professors should be encouraging students to move, possibly some administrative policies may be introduced regulating such activities.

Adjustable desks that are used by many companies in the offices could be another option offering more freedom to move.

Even the design of classrooms could be changed to offer more options to move around.

Surprisingly, even among people who exercised regularly, many participants of the study weren’t aware of strong health risks of prolonged sitting. For instance, it is a common belief that if you manage a 30-minute jogging session once a day, this eliminates potential risks, but it’s not true, as the facts show.

So, one thing to remember if your work or study makes you be stuck in a chair for hours, take a break to stretch and move around actively at least once an hour. This will help you to stay healthy for longer!

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