Long working hours are sometimes necessary in the corporate world, but they also take a toll on your health. Bad diet, weight gain, sleep deprivation are some of its outcomes. According to a study published in Lancet,
“people who work more than 55 hours per week or more have a 33% greater risk of stroke and a 13% greater risk of coronary heart disease.”
Employees who work in large corporate companies, finance executives, programmers, and those in the managerial positions are more at risk than others.
Dubai being a very dynamic and highly competitive city doesn’t help the case either. There is pressure on employees to work longer and harder, resulting in hours and hours behind the desk. Moreover, those who commute every day from Sharjah or Abu Dhabi to Dubai spend hours on the road just sitting in their cars or buses.
If you belong to the working class who finds themselves sitting for long hours at work [over 10 hours], you may want to read on:
5 Ways to Minimize the Risks:
It’s not easy to stay fit while working long hours. You need discipline and a strong will for that. Besides watching the diet, sleeping enough, cutting down on smoking and drinking, you must be physically active.
With the residents in the UAE leading a sedentary lifestyle, being active is one aspect that needs special attention. Here are some tips that might help:
1. Standing Work Stations:
Standing work stations is a fairly new concept in this region. However, standing as opposed to sitting while at work can have better results on your health.
According to a first- hand account of a standing desk user in Forbes, standing while working results in more energy, better alertness, gets you more engaged with co-workers and gets you ready for action! Maybe it’s time to talk to HR about this?
2. Train Standing:
It is a well-known fact that if you spend long hours at work, you will need to work out 2-3 times a week to stay healthy. However, if you are a desk jockey who works long hours, you should opt for exercises that require more standing than sitting.
For more exercise strategies to help you minimize the effects of sitting, click here.
3. Yoga
Yoga is an excellent way to get rid of the damage done to you by sitting at desk all day. There are various poses that you can do at home which will release the tension built in your muscles and prevent many of the ailments that stem from sitting too many hours.
Huffington post lists 12 Yoga poses that are easy to do and work wonders; here you can find detailed instructions with pictures to help you.
4. Weekend Activity:
Try making time for a fun physical activity with your friends and family. It’s a great opportunity to bond and maintain healthy relationships. Try to make it every weekend, even if it is to just bounce for an hour at Bounce.
5. Be Active
If none of the above really works for you, you should consider this: be constantly active in the office. Inactivity can contribute to various health risks. In fact, World Health Organization lists physical inactivity as the fourth biggest killer of adults. So make sure to get on your feet and move about regularly.
Take a stroll, climb a flight of stairs, walk to the store near office, stretch, anything! Just don’t be a desk potato.
What have you found useful in staying active at work/after work? Tell us in the comment below.
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