Has Sitting Down Become a Modern Addiction?

It’s no secret: excessive sitting is bad for your health.

Perhaps, like me, this truth hit hardest during the COVID-19 lockdown, when many of us were thrust into isolation and forced to work from home. Being tied to the kitchen table in front of the laptop with no need to move an inch all day brought to light the damaging consequences of prolonged sitting. Inadequate workspaces, poor lifestyle management, and excessive sitting are among the main challenges many remote and office workers still face today.

With the rise in remote working, the globe becoming increasingly hyperconnected and the digital world ever-evolving, could it be that sitting down is becoming a fully-fledged societal addiction?

Sedentary-related illnesses are woven into the very fabric of modern society. Without addressing these issues, we could be staring down the barrel at a health and wellbeing catastrophe in the coming years. 

Sitting isn’t natural to humans, but it’s become the norm

Unlike alcohol, drug and food addictions which are easy to spot, excessive sitting goes unnoticed on a mass scale. The vast majority of us don’t realise we are prisoners to our chairs.

We all sit down, sometimes we need to! But being hunched over a desk with glutes glued to the seat has been the ‘norm’ for many decades. We’ve become dependent on our chairs, so much so that it has morphed into an addiction. But the basic fact is this: the human body was not designed to be in this position for hours on end.

Take a look at babies and toddlers. You don’t have to be in a room with them very long until they begin moving, stretching, shuffling, standing and squatting. This behaviour is instinctive to every human being on the planet. Our bodies are engineered to move, not to adopt an idle sitting position.

In a nutshell, that’s the very reason that sitting down too much isn’t advised.

Sitting down is bad for your health & wellbeing

As humans, we are obsessed with convenience. Ground-breaking innovations in recent decades have made it possible for us to conduct the entirety of our lives from our seats. But while chairs and traditional worktops are welcome in this world, we should use them sparingly.

Why? Because they are slowly destroying us. Sitting addictions lead to...

• Incontinence, constipation, and digestive issues
• Reduced muscle function and lower metabolism
• Poor joint alignment, chronic pain and fatigue
• Low mood and a lack of motivation
• Diabetes, obesity & hypertension
• Premature ageing (both internal & external)
• Increased risk of life-threatening illnesses such as cardiovascular disease, Deep Vein Thrombosis, and certain cancers

Your chair, while comfortable and convenient short-term, is a destructive weapon in the long-term. On the contrary, standing more while focusing on good posture offers a wealth of health-boosting benefits.

Sit less, move more: it’s time to take a stand

Now that your sitting habits have been brought to light and you’re aware of the threat excessive sitting poses to your long-term health, it’s time to take a stand. Committing to moving more, taking frequent screen breaks, and standing for extended periods while working will significantly improve your health and productivity levels.

To help you take that life-changing stand and maintain your health indefinitely, here at HumbleWorks, we’ve developed a collection of stunning standing desks that are portable, 100% ergonomic, built to last, and crafted from a mix of high-quality eco-friendly materials. 

With our standing desks, you can set up a productive workspace, safe in the knowledge that your posture is on point and you’re taking an active role in counteracting the perils of excessive sitting.

Whether you work from home or in an office, our standing desks will help you take charge of your own well-being. Check out our two signature standing desks and take that first step towards a happier, healthier work-life. You will not regret it!