It's important to get up and get moving
British office workers spend the equivalent of five years of their lives sat at their desk without getting up, according to new research.
This equates to nearly five hours a day sitting at a desk without moving, which is almost 24 continuous hours a week and around 45 days a year.
The independent research among 1,000 office workers on behalf of Sanlam Private Investments shows that on average, office workers spend 55% of their working day sat down with almost 60% saying they don’t even take a lunch break and instead eat at their desk.
Office workers are not compensating for this sedentary life once they are away from the office, the research suggests 47% do less than an hour of exercise a week.
A group of men who don’t sit around all day is the Saracens Rugby Team. So together with Sanlam Private Investments they’ve created the Ultimate Office Fitness Guide, a brilliant range of exercises that even the most time-poor of us can fit into a hectic day.
This video features behind the scenes footage of the players training and the team’s fitness coaches who will give you a few hints and tips on fitness and diet improvements that can be implemented in the office.
Saracens Strength and Conditioning Coach, Andy Edwards. Andy, who helps get the club’s stars into match-winning shape, says:
“We’ve tried to make it easy for even the most desk-bound person to do something. Obviously it would be good if people could find more time to exercise, but you can achieve a lot in a concentrated 15 minutes and if people commit to doing something each day we believe they will feel the difference.”
Saracens and England star Owen Farrell says: “Making small sacrifices is important. Sacrificing half an hour of television in the evening to go for a run three times a week will make a difference, and you will feel better for it once you start seeing results.”
He also recommends people focus on small changes on the diet front too: “Don’t make drastic changes at first, otherwise it becomes impossible to maintain. Make small changes here and there, for example finding alternatives for foods you would have eaten before.”
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