According to research undertaken by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), 45 per cent of women and 37 per cent of men in UK offices spend less than 30 minutes a day walking – potentially placing their health at risk.
The BHF is partnering with Get Britain Standing to launch the first ever On Your Feet Britain campaign, which takes place on 24 April and aims to get workers get moving and help to raise funds for the fight against cardiovascular disease.
A poll of 2,000 office workers revealed that 38 per cent rarely leave their desks and even admit to emailing colleagues sitting next to them. 52 per cent say they usually eat lunch at their desks, while 31 per cent confess to sitting so long they even delay toilet visits!
The health risks of these sedentary working practices are not to be ignored, with two of the biggest being the development of type-2 diabetes and obesity, which is a key risk factor in coronary heart disease.
Even office workers themselves are aware of the risks their behaviour poses, with78 per cent feeling they spend too much of their time sitting down and 62 per cent fearing the negative impact on their health this can have.
Gavin Bradley, Founder of Active Working C.I.C and the Get Britain Standing campaign, said: “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”.
Project Manager for the BHF’s Health at Work programme, Lisa Young, said: “Too many of us are tied to our desks at work, which could be increasing our risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
“That’s why we want workers to get up and get moving on April 24th and take a stand against cardiovascular disease”.
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