A sedentary lifestyle has negative consequences for your health: it leads to overweight, reduces muscle mass, and causes an increase in overall aches and pains as well as making you more prone to a variety of diseases.

How to combat a sedentary lifestyle and resulting problems?

By doing physical exercise twice or three times a week, walking as much as possible, forgetting about the lift, parking further away, dancing or enjoying your free time outside the home, going on excursions or taking a stroll outdoors.

But what happens when you need to spend eight hours standing in front of a counter or on your computer? Is there any way to prevent that from negatively affecting the shape you are in?

Of course! Here is some advice:

1. Stand up every 30-60 Go to the bathroom or simply take a walk around the office. Take this time to stretch your back and legs.
2. Drink water. Always have a bottle at hand.
3. When you receive a phone call, stand up and walk around while you are on the phone.
4. Do not send emails or messages to a colleague who is close by. Stand up and give them the message, whenever necessary.
5. Have lunch away from your desk. If you do have lunch at work, try to make sure that it is not at your desk so that you are obliged to move to get there.
6. If you have a scheduled break, make the most of it and go out for a walk, or have something or just take a walk in the corridor.
7. If you stand while you work, go on tiptoe, walk around your work station and change your gait. This will help straighten your spine and improve posture.
   Join your hands behind your back and stretch them.
8. When you are sitting, do these exercises: 
   Stretch your neck by moving your head forward, backward and to the side. 
   Rotate your ankles. Inwards and outwards. 
   Contract your buttock muscles alternatively. This exercise is great for those who spend a lot of time seated. It helps maintain tone and prevent flaccidity.
   Breathe in deeply and, after you breathe out, contract your abdomen and hold your breath for a few seconds.

Connect your activity bracelet to your health platform and set yourself some challenges, some daily steps or a specific distance to cover. Without realising it, you will be moving more. Try it!