6 Ways to Sit Less Every Day

By Sarah Kehoe
August 01, 2012
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Need help being less sedentary? Here are the best ways to sit less and move more, from easiest to hardest.
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Start standing

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Need help being less sedentary? Here are the best ways to sit less and move more, from easiest to hardest.

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Pace on the phone

Invest in a two-way speakerphone, super long phone-to-ear cord, or quality headset so you can be more mobile while you chat.

Even if you simply stand while on the phone, you'll naturally shift from leg to leg.

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Putter after eating

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Or take a quick walk post meals. The fat levels in your bloodstream are highest after eating, and simply moving around afterward increases the activity of lipoprotein lipase, which spurs your metabolism.

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Opt for bar seats at restaurants

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Sit on the front third of the barstool; spread your feet just wider than hip distance, so they're supporting a fair bit of your weight, and gently roll your hips forward, arching your back slightly.

This position is called "perching"—it maintains an S-shape in your spine, and distributes your weight more evenly.

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Leave the seat at home

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Whether you're going to a concert, tailgate, or park, don't bring a chair.

You'll find that if you don't have one, you stand the whole time or naturally move back and forth between your blanket and standing, says Marc Hamilton, PhD, a microbiologist at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

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Do stuff in person

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Instead of emailing or calling a coworker, walk over to her desk. Stand in your colleague's office to discuss things, or suggest taking a walk to chat.

"Within two weeks, you could get addicted to walking and working," says James Levine, MD, an obesity researcher at the Mayo Clinic.

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Create multiple workstations

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Hear us out: They can all be at the same desk. The idea is to allow your body to rotate between different positions throughout the day.

Create an area where you can stand while doing work (try putting a box or milk crate covered by fabric on top of your desk, to rest your computer on), a stool to perch on (and a perch-level surface—slipping a few books under your monitor will do), and, if you can, a floor-level seating area, where you?ll land to read that oh-so-important memo.

Sitting cross-legged naturally rolls your pelvis forward and maintains the S-curve. Move from one area to the next as you feel like it.

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