1. WELLNESS IN THE WORKPLACE: PLUS TIPS FOR STAYING ACTIVE IN THE OFFICE By: Jennifer Abrefa

2. STATS  Americans are becoming more and more health conscious. But due to higher stress, longer work days and constant multitasking, it is more difficult to find the time to act on wellness goals.

3.  Nearly 70% of cost associated with health care are due to preventable conditions.  New research confirms that spending long hours sitting down during commuting and working can play a significant role in the development of chronic disease.  World Health Organization (WHO) now lists inactivity as the fourth biggest killer of adults, responsible for nine percent of premature deaths. STATS

4. PROLONGED SITTING LINKED TO POOR HEALTH A recent analysis of 18 studies (which in total included nearly 800,000 people) found that those who sat for the longest periods of time were twice as likely to have diabetes or heart disease, compared to those who sat the least. And, while prolonged sitting was linked to an overall greater mortality risk from any cause, the strongest link was to death due to diabetes.

5. HOW TO GET MORE ACTIVE DURING WORK HOURS  Walking across the hall to talk to a coworker instead of sending an email  Taking the stairs instead of the elevator  Parking your car further away from the entrance  Taking a longer, roundabout way to your desk

6. MAKING SLIGHT ALTERATIONS TO YOUR INDIVIDUAL WORK SPACE CAN ALSO MAKE A DIFFERENCE  Organize the layout of your office space in such a way that you have to stand up to reach oft-used files, the telephone, or your printer, rather than having everything within easy reach. Ideally, you’ll want to stand up at least once every 10 minutes, or more, so simply moving one or more things you frequently reach for could allow you to build this kind of movement into your regular work day.  Use an exercise ball for a chair. Unlike sitting in a chair, sitting on an exercise ball engages your core muscles and helps improve balance and flexibility. Occasional bouncing can also help your body interact with gravity to a greater degree than sitting on a stationary chair.  Alternatively, use an upright wooden chair with no armrest, which will force you to sit up straight, and encourage shifting your body more frequently than a cushy office chair.  Use a standing workstation. Standing rather than sitting while doing your work can also be a helpful option. For a demonstration on proper posture, whether you’re sitting or using a standing workstation

7. SITTING CAN BECOME AN INDEPENDENT RISK FACTOR FOR POOR HEALTH According to lead researcher Thomas Yates, MD “Even for people who are otherwise active, sitting for long stretches seems to be an independent risk factor for conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and kidney disease.” ~What do you think about this statement?

8. INTERRUPT YOUR SITTING  Standing up once every hour was more effective than walking on a treadmill for 15 minutes for cardiovascular and metabolic changes.  Sitting down and standing up repeatedly for 32 minutes does NOT have the same effect as standing up once, 32 times over the course of a day. To get the benefit, the stimulus must be spread throughout the day.  Stand up really slow and sit really slow five times.  Four or five one legged squats, alternating legs each period and for the third round, squatting with both legs. This will also go a long way towards building your leg strength and costs you nothing but a few minutes of your time.

9. MORE TIPS TO INTERRUPT SITTING THROUGHOUT YOUR WORK DAY  Don't Sit during Your Entire Lunch Break Make a point not to stay seated during the 30 to 60 minutes, instead, take half of the time to eat and use the other half to squeeze mild workout. Go outside and take a short walk. You can also walk up and down the stairs in your building.  Don't Save Yourself Trips Splitting up your office errands forces you to be active throughout your day. Instead of going up and down the stairs once, you do it twice (or more).

10. MORE TIPS TO INTERRUPT SITTING THROUGHOUT YOUR WORK DAY  Tag Along for the Coffee Break Even if you prefer to save your money by drinking the coffee at work (or aren't a fan of coffee in general), taking a stroll with some of your co- workers to the local coffee shop is a quick and easy way to incorporate some more physical activity into your day.  Say "No" to the Elevator Make it a habit to start taking the stairs instead. Begin your work day by walking up the stairs to your office and then ending the day by walking down the stairs to the exit. Start to think of the elevator as a non-option.

11. Remember with fitness than every bit counts. Just because you don't do push ups or sprints during lunch doesn't mean your body still isn't benefiting from the movement!

12. SOURCES  New England Journal of Medicine 2009 Apr 9;360(15):1518-25 New England Journal of Medicine 2009 Apr 9;360(15):1518-25  www.webmd.com/diet/news/20090407/can-brown-fat-make-you-thin www.webmd.com/diet/news/20090407/can-brown-fat-make-you-thin  www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=spiegelman[author]+AND+PRDM16& TransSchema=title&cmd=detailssearch www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=spiegelman[author]+AND+PRDM16& TransSchema=title&cmd=detailssearch  5 www.webmd.com/diet/news/20080820/brown-fat-new-key-to-weight-loss 5www.webmd.com/diet/news/20080820/brown-fat-new-key-to-weight-loss  6 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the Unites States of America 2011 Jan 4;108(1):143-8 6Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the Unites States of America 2011 Jan 4;108(1):143-8  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/02/13/scientists-find- brown-fat-to-help-lose-weight.aspx http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/02/13/scientists-find- brown-fat-to-help-lose-weight.aspx  http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/exercises/4-fitness-tips-for- staying-active-throughout-the-day-at-work.html http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/exercises/4-fitness-tips-for- staying-active-throughout-the-day-at-work.html