Office workers fear sitting too long could be impacting their health

Almost half of women (45%) and almost two fifths of men (37%) working in UK offices spend less than 30 minutes a day walking around at work, according to new statistics released ahead of the first On Your Feet Britain campaign to get office workers moving more.

We're partnering with Get Britain Standing to launch the UK’s first On Your Feet Britain campaign on 24^th April, encouraging workers to ditch their office chairs and raise vital funds for cardiovascular disease.

Workers are encouraged to sit less and move more to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease whilst raising money for our life-saving research.  Offices are being challenged to find inventive ways of getting employees on their feet, by holding walking meetings, getting outside at lunchtime, simply taking five minutes to stand up and stretch or set up a team challenge.
A poll of 2,000 UK office workers found almost two fifths (38%) are so tied to their desks they’ve confessed to emailing someone right next to them, over half (52%) regularly eat lunch at their desk and almost a third (31%) sit for so long they even put off going to the toilet.
Almost eight in ten (78%) office workers surveyed feel they spend too much time sitting down at work while 62% fear this could have a negative impact on their health. Two thirds (66%) say they are significantly less active at work than at home.

Stand up to cardiovascular disease

Research suggests sedentary behaviour can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and dying prematurely from cardiovascular disease. It has also been associated with obesity and weight gain, a key risk factor for coronary heart disease.
Yet statistics show the average person sits for almost nine hours a day and almost 70% of an office worker’s average sitting time is at work.
Gavin Bradley, Founder of Active Working C.I.C and the Get Britain Standing campaign, said: “This survey shows too many office workers are stuck to their desks. We all know a sedentary lifestyle is bad for us, we just don’t realise how bad it is.
“Leading a sedentary lifestyle at work could be negatively impacting your performance and increasing your risk of developing health problems later in life. Spending less time sitting down and more time moving could benefit your health and make you more productive.
“That’s why we need office workers to be more aware of their “Sitting Calculator” and some simple steps to break up prolonged sitting bouts at work. On Your Feet Britain is a fun event which could help you burn more calories, help to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and help fund more life-saving breakthroughs in the fight against this disease.”