Skip to content

Top Navigation

Health.com Health.com
  • Health Conditions A-Z
  • News
  • Coronavirus
  • Diet & Nutrition
  • Fitness
  • Beauty
  • Mind & Body
  • Lifestyle
  • Weight Loss
  • Newsletter
  • Promo

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Health.com

Health.com Health.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Is Your Doctor Gaslighting You? Here's What to Do

      How to handle a physician who doubts or dismisses your symptoms. Read More Next
    • 9 Signs It's More Serious Than the Common Cold

      Doctors explain how to tell if you have a head cold or something more serious that requires medical attention, such as the flu, strep throat, meningitis, or mono. Read More Next
    • How Your Period Changes During Your 20s, 30s, and 40s

      From easier cramps to a heavier flow, here's a guide on what to expect decade by decade. Read More Next
  • Health Conditions A-Z

    Health Conditions A-Z

    See all Health Conditions A-Z

    12 Anxiety Symptoms That Might Point to a Disorder

    The symptoms of anxiety can be hard to detect. Here are the ones you need to pay attention to, and how to know if you may have an anxiety disorder.
    • Allergies
    • Anxiety
    • Birth Control
    • Breast Cancer
    • Coronavirus
    • Chronic Pain
    • Cold, Flu, and Sinus
    • Depression
    • Digestive Health
    • Diabetes (Type 2)
    • Eczema
    • Eye Health
    • Fibromyalgia
    • Heart Disease
    • Headaches and Migraines
    • Oral Health
    • Pregnancy
    • Psoriasis
    • Sexual Health
    • Skin Conditions
    • Sleep
    • Thyroid
  • News

    News

    See all News

    Shannen Doherty Reveals Stage 4 Breast Cancer Diagnosis—Here's What It Means

    "I'm petrified," the actress said when she shared the news that her breast cancer came back. Here's why a stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis can be so frightening.
    • Celebrities
  • Coronavirus
  • Diet & Nutrition

    Diet & Nutrition

    The Best (and Worst) Diets of 2020, According to Experts

    FYI: The keto diet is not number one.
    • Food
    • Nutrition
    • Vitamins and Supplements
    • Groceries
    • Restaurants
    • Diets
    • Keto Diet
    • Mediterranean Diet
    • Whole30
    • Recipes
  • Fitness

    Fitness

    See all Fitness

    10 Moves for a Cardio Workout at Home—No Equipment Required

    Stay in your living room and still spike your heart rate.
    • Cardio Workouts
    • Strength Training
    • Yoga
    • Ab Workouts
    • Arm Workouts
    • Leg Workouts
    • Butt Workouts
    • Fitness Gear
  • Beauty

    Beauty

    See all Beauty

    These 13 Women Prove Every Body Is a Bikini Body

    We're loving their inspirational, body-positive messages.
    • Skincare
    • Makeup
    • Hair
    • Nails
  • Mind & Body

    Mind & Body

    See all Mind & Body

    Why Do People Lie? We Asked an Expert

    Here's the truth about lying.
    • Body Positivity
    • Self-Care
    • Misdiagnosed
    • Invisible Illness
    • LGBTQ+ Health
    • Health Diversity and Inclusion
    • Resolution Reboot
  • Lifestyle

    Lifestyle

    20 Things You Should Throw Away for Better Health

    Clean out expired products and clutter to make way for a healthier you.
    • Healthy Home
    • Pets
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Style
    • Holidays
    • Sex
    • Gifts
    • Money
    • Tech
    • Medicare
    • Best Life Now
  • Weight Loss
  • Newsletter
  • Promo

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences this link opens in a new tab
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow us

  1. Home Chevron Right
  2. Mind & Body Chevron Right
  3. 6 Ways to Sit Less Every Day

6 Ways to Sit Less Every Day

By Sarah Kehoe
August 01, 2012
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: Getty Images
Need help being less sedentary? Here are the best ways to sit less and move more, from easiest to hardest.
Start Slideshow

1 of 7

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Start standing

Credit: Getty Images

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

1 of 7

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 7

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

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.

2 of 7

3 of 7

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Putter after eating

Credit: Getty Images

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.

3 of 7

Advertisement

4 of 7

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Opt for bar seats at restaurants

Credit: Getty Images

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.

4 of 7

5 of 7

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Leave the seat at home

Credit: Getty Images

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.

5 of 7

6 of 7

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Do stuff in person

Credit: Getty Images

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.

6 of 7

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 7

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Create multiple workstations

Credit: Getty Images

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.

7 of 7

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Sarah Kehoe

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 7 Start standing
2 of 7 Pace on the phone
3 of 7 Putter after eating
4 of 7 Opt for bar seats at restaurants
5 of 7 Leave the seat at home
6 of 7 Do stuff in person
7 of 7 Create multiple workstations

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Health.com

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • About Us
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact us
  • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Health.com is part of the Meredith Health Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved. The material in this site is intended to be of general informational use and is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments. All products and services featured are selected by our editors. Health.com may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.health.com

View image

6 Ways to Sit Less Every Day
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.