Seven easy ways to get fitter (if you sit down all day)

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Sitting has been called the new smoking in recent years, and a 2019 study found those who sat for more than eight hours a day with little exercise had a similar risk of dying to smokers. In addition, a 2019 study from the University of Leicester and the Norwegian School of Sports Science found that adults who sit for more than nine hours a day are doubling their risk of early death. The NHS says that sitting for long periods can also slow the metabolism, which affects the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar and break down body fat.

Most adults in the UK spend about nine hours a day sitting down, according to the NHS, with commutes by car or train, sedentary office jobs, and Netflix and phone binges to blame.

“We’re all sitting for far too long every day,” says the osteopath James Davies, who counts David Beckham and Kylie Minogue among his clients. He has also worked as the official therapist for the Team GB Olympic team and Joe Wicks, who called him “my body coach”.

“The fact is, some of us have to sit in front of a computer screen for eight hours a day or have a long commute,” Davies says. “But luckily there’s plenty you can do to offset some of the damage caused by doing so.” Here’s how …

1. Warm up like an athlete

At the start of a working day, Davies, who is also the author of Body: Simple Techniques and Strategies to Heal, Reset and Restore, suggests seeing yourself as an athlete preparing for a big game. “But instead of a football match or race, you’re preparing for a day of sitting down largely in one position. Not forgetting that you’re probably starting your working day by sitting on a train or in a car.”

To warm up for this, Davies says you should march on the spot for the two minutes it takes to brush your teeth, and do “ankle circles”’ while you make your first cup of tea (this is where you circle each ankle around, first from left to right, then right to left). “One of the main issues with too much sitting is it slows your circulation, which causes you to feel sluggish. These movements at the start of your day can help.”

2. Look up

One of the effects of sitting down is that it causes us to look down, Davies says. “Whether it’s looking down at our phones, a book or a laptop, chances are you’ll spend a lot of your day looking down. Many people think that sitting down affects our lower back — and it does — but it also causes a cumulative strain on our neck. So throughout the day, look up at the ceiling so that your nose almost points towards it. Next, imagine your eyes are two pencils and draw a figure of eight with them, along with your nose and chin.”

Davies also recommends sitting up with your back straight, shoulders down and still, slowly turning your head from left to right, then lowering your chin to your chest. None of this should feel painful, he says, and if it does, it’s a sign you’re storing tension in your neck and shoulders. Counter it by taking regular screen breaks and doing the above moves throughout the day.

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3. Move every 30 minutes

This may seem like a lot if you’re working on a deadline, or inconvenient if you’re in the middle of your favourite TV show, but Davies says we should factor in “micro-movements” whenever we’re sitting still for long periods. “Get up and walk over to a colleague instead of sending an email. Go to the bathroom [he says drinking plenty of water throughout the day helps with this, and has its own health benefits in terms of better hydration]. Walk to the kitchen and back, even if you don’t want anything from it.”

One study, from Harvard Health, found that five minutes of walking after every half hour of sitting significantly lowered blood pressure and blood sugar, although the researchers found any amount of walking after 30 minutes of sitting helped.

“If you’re short on time, simply stand up, straighten your back, roll your shoulders back and puff your chest out slightly before returning to the seated position,” Davies says. “Regular movement helps with concentration, so you’ll work better for it.”

Sitting on the floor helps to “rewild” your hips

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4. Sit on the floor more

Not all sitting is created equally, according to the husband-and-wife fitness team Kelly and Juliet Starrett, authors of Built to Move (he’s a doctor of physical therapy, she’s a former athlete). “Sitting on the floor counters some of the effects of sitting for long periods in a chair or sofa,” Kelly says. “Sitting on the floor in a variety of positions helps to ‘rewild’ your hip joints. In other words, it restores your hips’ range of movements and keeps your bones, joints and tissues in their best working order.”

Kelly points out that people in non-western countries often eat while sitting cross-legged or waiting for a bus, which he thinks may explain why people in China, for example, have 80 to 90 per cent less occurrence of arthritic hip pain than westerners. “Aim to sit on the floor for 30 minutes a day, but you may need to build up to this. And don’t limit yourself to the cross-legged position — sitting with your legs out in front of you or tucked to the side also increases mobility.”

5. Consider a standing desk

“We are fans of standing desks and use them ourselves because we find that they create more opportunities for us to move more, fidget and change positions throughout the day,” Kelly says. “We also find that if we are already standing, we are more apt to walk around our office to talk to our colleagues.”

However, he says they also understand that standing desks are not an option for everyone. “And it’s not that sitting is bad and standing is good,” Kelly says. “But if you do sit at a desk then move, walk and change positions more throughout the day and avoid what we call ‘marathon bouts of sitting’ at all costs, where you don’t get up or change position for long periods.”

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6. Do a ‘desk stretch’ every 15 minutes

If you work from home this one is easy, but if you’re in an office you have to swallow your embarrassment and do a desk stretch every 15 minutes, Davies says. “Start with some ‘wrist circles’, where you rotate your wrists one way, and then the other, do the neck stretch [mentioned above], then the chest stretch.” Tight chest muscles, caused by sitting in one position for too long, can affect posture and lead to a painful lower back, he says. To do the chest stretch, sit or stand with your hands behind your head and your fingers interlaced. Stretch by trying to pull your shoulder blades together for a count of ten seconds. Return to a normal position, then repeat three times.

7. Lastly, lie on the floor

Davies says this is the move you should do at the end of the day to reset your posture and bring you back to a calming state. “Lie on the floor with your back on the floor and your legs and feet on the sofa at a 90-degree angle, and just fully relax. You can do it for as little as 30 seconds or a few minutes — however long you have. I do it for one minute every night, and it takes the pressure off your back after a day of sitting.”