Why standing a lot is just as harmful as sitting. Sitting is harmful: how a chair makes you suffer Comfortable chairs don't work
On the topic of movement one of critical issues is the problem of harm from sitting. Sitting is harmful and sitting causes us serious harm and we can well say that “Sitting is the new smoking.” Leading experts agree: Sitting (more than 10 hours a day) actually causes more health problems than smoking. The health consequences occur equally for all people: all ages, both sexes, all races and countries. Note that sitting is much more harmful than standing or lying down.
In Britain, about 32% of the British population spend more than 10 hours a day sitting. Of these, 50% rarely leave workplace and even have lunch at the office desk. It is noted that about half of office workers complain of pain in the lower spine.
Man is not made to sit on a chair.
The point of sitting is to give the body a break from movement and vertical position, which is a basic specific feature of the structure of our body, given to us by nature. Man is created to be on the move all day: moving to work, moving at work, walking and feeding children, collecting food, hunting, etc. People who previously lived and worked in rural areas sat only for the purpose of short-term rest. But today this figure has increased to an average of 13 hours a day, with 8 hours spent sleeping and only 3 hours left for movement (the real numbers in big cities are even lower). Sitting is harmful and sitting all day on the fifth point you destroy your health and strengthen.
Chairing has been a habit for the last 150 years.
Among the ancient Greeks, chairs were mainly the privilege of women and children. If you look closely at the drawings on ancient Greek vases, you will notice that they often depict women seated on elegant chairs. Men preferred to recline during leisurely conversations and feasts.For a long time, the chair remained a prestigious thing. For the ancient Romans, a chair or armchair was an indicator of how successful a person was. The important official did not part with his folding chair, lined with ivory. It was carried behind him by his obedient slave. Only particularly respected citizens sat on the low, richly decorated seat - the bisillium. And the head of the aristocratic family sat on a home throne made of marble, arranged like an imperial one. The ancient Romans ate, read, wrote, and received guests while lying down. The favorite furniture of men was simple couches - kline, borrowed from the same Greeks. The ancient Romans ate while sitting only during mourning.
In the East, before and now they used to sit on the floor. Even in prehistoric times, the Chinese created floor mats for sitting and, accordingly, wooden tables with low legs
The sitting position is unnatural.
Sitting is harmful, because sitting is an absolutely unnatural body position. We are not designed to sit. The human spine is not designed to conduct long time in a sitting position. Overall, the fact that the human spine resembles the letter S serves us well. “What do you think, with a large load on C and S, which one will break faster? C,” says Krantz. However, when sitting, the natural S shape of the spine turns into a C, which almost locks the abdominal and back muscles that support the body. You are slouched and slanted and lateral muscles weaken and become unable to support the body. When you stand, the load falls on your hips, knees, and ankles. When you sit, the entire load is transferred to the pelvis and spine, increasing pressure on intervertebral discs. Magnetic resonance imaging shows that even the ideally correct sitting position causes serious pressure on the back.
1. Sitting is harmful, it increases the risk of developing many diseases
Sitting is very dangerous for your health because it significantly increases your risk of diabetes or cardiovascular disease. At the same time, know that no physical exercise and training, as previously thought, will not remove the damage from sitting for a long time. For every hour you sit watching TV or listening to a lecture, your life is shortened by 22 additional minutes. People who sat for 11 hours or more per day had a 40 percent greater risk. The power of stool extends far beyond obesity; if you sit too long, diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease and early death are on your heels.Sitting is harmful and those who, for whatever reason, sit for more than 4 hours every day are more susceptible to chronic diseases. They may develop cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and even cancer. Moreover, the risk of acquiring the disease increases with the number of hours spent in a chair.
Australian researchers have made a completely frightening conclusion that sounds like a death sentence for modern man, often spending both working and free time at the computer. Those who sit more than 11 hours a day have a 40% higher risk of dying in the next three years compared to those who spend three times less time sitting.
We also note stagnation of blood and lymph, the risk of blood clots in predisposed people. Inactivity, and in 99% of cases it accompanies long sitting, causes stagnation of blood and fluids in the legs. It is even more harmful to sit with your legs crossed, as this further impedes blood flow. Women should be more attentive to this problem, because it causes, among other things, fatty thighs and cellulite. “sitting still syndrome”, or simply thrombosis. For men, sitting constantly is especially harmful and increases the risk of prostate diseases. Due to prolonged sitting and lack of movement, blood in the veins stagnates and because of this, there is a possibility of blood clots.
2. Comfortable chairs don't work.
Over the past 30 years, the swivel office chair industry has grown to a $3 billion industry, with more than 100 companies operating in the US market. The most popular office chair provides lumbar support. However, scientists do not share their enthusiasm. Aeron is too low, says Danish doctor A. S. Mandal. “I visited Herman Miller a few years ago and they get it. The chairs need to be higher so you can move. But while they have huge sales, they don’t want to change anything,” the doctor complains. A significant share of ideas about what a comfortable chair should look like comes from the furniture industry from the 1960-1970s, when numerous complaints from workers about back pain began to be received.The main cause of the problem was the lack of lumbar support. “However, lumbar support does not help the spine much,” says the expert. “There is no way out of this problem,” says Galen Krantz, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley. “However, the idea of lumbar support is so ingrained in people’s perceptions of comfort that it is not connected to the actual experience of sitting in a chair. In a sense, we are locked inside the problem."
When we sit at the table, it seems that we are very comfortable and comfortable. Comfortable - with a curved back, with the palm of your hand on which your chin rests, your head bent over the keyboard. But if you sit like this for two hours and then get up, you will definitely feel how numb your arms, back and legs are.
Sitting is harmful, much more harmful than lying or standing. The whole time you were sitting like that, the pressure on your spine was 2 times more than when you stand and 8 times more than when you lie down.
3. A sedentary lifestyle is worse than immobility.
Sitting is much more harmful than just physical inactivity. So, lying and standing are much healthier than sitting. Latest research in various areas epidemiology, molecular biology, biomechanics and psychology lead to an unexpected conclusion: sitting is a threat to public health. And it cannot be smoothed out with exercise. “People need to understand that good sitting mechanisms are completely different from walking or playing sports,” says Mark Hamilton, a microbiologist at the University of Missouri. — A too sedentary lifestyle is not the same as a lack of exercise. For the body these are two completely different things.”4. Standing is easier and healthier than sitting.
“If you do standing work, you use specialized muscles to maintain posture that never get tired,” says Hamilton. - They are unique in that nervous system engages them for low-intensity activities, and they're rich in enzymes." One enzyme, lipoprotein lipase, takes fats and cholesterol from the blood, burns fats for energy, converting "bad" LDL cholesterol into "good" HDL. When you sit, your muscles relax and enzyme activity drops by 90-95%. Within a few hours of sitting, the level of “healthy” cholesterol in the blood drops by 20%. Standing burns three times more calories than sitting. Muscle contractions, even those that occur while a person is standing still, trigger important processes related to the breakdown of fats and sugars. However, after the body assumes a sitting position, the action of these mechanisms ceases.5. Increased stress levels.
Immobilization is best way stress modeling. Sitting causes a chronic increase in cortisol. And too much cortisol makes patients fat and depressed in a vicious cycle: the more stressed you are, the more cortisol your body produces. As a result of excess cortisol, you eat more, feel sadder and more frustrated, gain weight, and become sedentary. The cortisol system sabotages your muscles' response to movement stimuli, causing you to prefer sitting more. |
6. Sitting is a bad habit.
Several last generations Millions of people's brains have become sedentary. Most people in the modern Western world are overworked. Just as the brain adapts to the chair, so does the whole society. Sitting is harmful, and if the majority of people become over-sitting, then the structure of the entire society gradually adapts to meet the new environmental conditions.Back in 2005, in an article in the journal Science, James Levine, an obesity specialist at the Mayo Clinic, determined why some people gain weight while eating the same diet and some do not. “We found that obese people have a natural tendency to be confined to a chair, and this habit persists even when such people try to lose weight,” the physician wrote. “What amazes me is that humans have evolved over 1.5 million years to gain the ability to walk and move around. And literally 150 years ago 90% of all human activity was associated with agriculture. In a tiny space of time we became chair-bound."
If you sit for a long period, the brain becomes sedentary in structure and, ultimately, this is reflected in the way you think - a seated body also gives rise to a sedentary mind. But the good news is that if a person tied to a chair takes the first step: gets up and walks, then the brain, like the muscle, begins to adapt to the movement. The brain of a person who begins to sit less and walk more triggers new factors of neuroplasticity. Under these conditions, over a long period of time, the brain adapts to the newly acquired skill of its owner.
Because the brain is constantly adapting, it takes approximately three weeks for the necessary changes in the brain to occur. In threeweeks, a “chair-aholic” can become a “walker.” Remember that sitting is harmful and start looking at your chair with caution!
No matter how much you love your car, no matter how convenient it is, sooner or later you have to leave your iron friend alone for a month or two (or even more): sometimes in the winter (when, due to heavy snowfalls, you have to travel by land transport), then during vacation or business trip.
Isn't such a long period of downtime harmful for your beloved car? And is it possible to protect a car from possible consequences long downtime?
Is it harmful for a car to stand on the street or in a garage for a long time - all the consequences of long-term parking for a car
Of course, a long period of downtime cannot do any good for the machine. 3-4 months in a garage without warming up and moving is not so bad, but a more solid parking lot can cause a lot of problems.
Possible consequences:
- Oil. Modern car oils have a long shelf life. But these deadlines are revised as soon as oil is poured into the engine. Various additives of modern oils provided high temperature are subject to reaction, both among themselves and with engine/gearbox parts. Which leads to their oxidation and the “delamination” effect. With constant use of the car, this effect is not observed due to regular shaking of the oil. In the absence of movement, these additives settle to the bottom. And starting the engine on already spoiled oil threatens to break it.
- Petrol. Like oil, it loses its quality when left idle for a long time. In addition, excess moisture accumulates in the tank over time. Therefore, after a long period of parking, gasoline is simply drained.
- Battery . All drivers know that even a 100% charged unit will be completely discharged after 1.5-2 months. Accordingly, it should be periodically “refueled”.
- Sealing rubber bands, seals, gaskets . When lubricants drain (during storage) into the pan, the seals dry out and crack. If the machine has not been used for a long time, then the seals will have to be changed.
- Rubber hoses, fuel lines.
If your car has been waiting for its owner for more than 4 years, then they will also have to be replaced as a result of loss of properties and cracking.
Brake fluid. As for this substance, due to its hygroscopic qualities, it is capable of accumulating moisture. After inactivity (and indeed every 2 years) it should be changed. - Brake discs. After a long period of parking, you will find a layer of rust on them.
- Brake pads.
If they are parked without movement for more than 3 years, they should also be changed.
Wheels. When parked for a long time in an unchanged position, the wheels are subject to deformation due to body pressure. Especially if there is too much low level internal/pressure - Body. If your car is parked on the street for a long time, then the body of the car is also subject to destruction: precipitation contributes to the appearance of rust, UV rays “matt” the varnish, and everything that can fly from above accumulates on the roof (from tree resin and bird droppings to infinity) . In addition, it is worth noting the consequences of moisture getting on the bottom - this is the development of corrosion.
- Hand brake. With regular use, no problems arise, but after parking the car for a long time “with the handbrake”, you will experience jamming due to the non-ideal tightness of the cuff, under which dirt and moisture can get trapped.
Where to store your car - choose the best option
The first thought is to leave it in the garage. And it’s far from the thieves, and it won’t rain. And if you don’t have a garage, then right under the windows of your house. There, the neighbors will look after you, and there will be no expenses.
It seems that everything is simple. But this is only at first glance.
Let's take a closer look at all the options:
- In the garage
If there is one.
Pros: no need to worry about the car being stolen; rains are not scary.
Now about the cons. If the ventilation in your garage is poorly organized or not at all, then the damage to the car will be more significant than if you just left it on the street. All the moisture in the room, without ventilation, settles as condensation, both on the car body and on the air ducts, on the components of the ignition system, etc. And if frost strikes, then you cannot avoid problems. - Near the house, on the street
Pros: the neighbors will keep an eye on you, you don’t need to spend money on parking, the air exchange is one hundred percent.
Disadvantages: in addition to the above-mentioned consequences of long-term parking without warming up (for example, a bottom rotten from the “reagent” winter), there are other risks. For example, a tree may fall on a car, or it may break sewer pipe under the car (never park the car on a sunroof), the car can be moved if it interferes with utilities, etc. Also, you will not be able to recharge a dead battery (unless your neighbors help you). As for precipitation, there is a way out - you can cover your iron friend with an awning, but over the winter it will freeze to the covering and, accordingly, damage it.
Exit - frame awning, thanks to the device of which the awning does not touch the car at all.
True, there are also disadvantages here: Condensation will collect under the awning, which puts this option on par with an unventilated garage. - In a secure open parking lot
Pros: the tree will not fall, air exchange is maintained, the car is looked after. It is also worth noting that a battery that has died over the winter can be recharged in most modern parking lots.
Cons: all the “delights” of the impact of precipitation on the body, no guarantee of vehicle safety (at most, security will call the police), parking fees. - In a secure covered parking lot
Cons: no guarantee of vehicle safety, parking fees.
Pros: absence of precipitation and UV rays, air exchange, ability to recharge the battery, etc.
What conclusion can be drawn?
Recognized as the best option covered secure parking or underground parking.
Preserving cars for long-term parking during vacation or winter - preventive measures
So that you don’t have to deal with the consequences of parking your car for a long time after arriving from vacation (or after winter), take measures in advance!
For your attention - recommendations for preserving a vehicle during its long period of inactivity
- Place. We are looking for an optimally convenient (relative to risks) parking place. We take into account how the impact environment, as well as the risk of theft or other damage. The ideal option is a dry, warm and well-ventilated room.
- Body. Wash and dry the body thoroughly. Then we coat it with a special anti-corrosion compound. Using an aerosol protective coating, we treat suspension parts, as well as bottom part TS.
- Engine. We turn out the spark plugs, then pour 70-100 ml of engine oil into the engine cylinders, turn the crankshaft by hand 4-5 times and screw the spark plugs back in. We completely fill the cooling system with antifreeze, and carefully plug the holes in the exhaust pipe and air filter with an oiled cloth.
- Carburetor. If there is one, you should clean it and install a plug made of porous rubber, pressing it with a weight.
- We drain all the water from all containers.
- Installing the vehicle on the pads to remove the load from the suspension.
- Filling up with gasoline - full tank - to protect it from condensation and corrosion. Given the ability of gasoline to evaporate, it is recommended to top it up regularly.
- To avoid rotting and destruction, we carefully treat all rubber parts (including wheels) by special means(or lime) with silicone.
- Do not tighten the handbrake so that later you don’t have to water the pads frozen in the 1st position hot water in an attempt to get going.
- Remove all unnecessary components from the car , which may be of interest to thieves - wipers, radio and, if possible, even a battery. You can leave the battery, but only if the battery is in full working order and you are not afraid of thieves. It should be disconnected from the on-board network.
- Chromed vehicle elements wipe with a cloth soaked in regular oil without detergents. When storing a vehicle outside, use solido or cyatim instead of oil.
- We bleed the air from the wheels by 50%.
Some measures may seem too drastic, but if you are parting with the car for more than six months, it is recommended to follow the advice - this will save you the cost of putting the car into operation. Subject to availability take your car out at least once every 2 months for 10-15 minute walks .
If you need resuscitation of your car after serious downtime, contact the specialists - highly qualified specialists will quickly bring your vehicle back to life.
Doctors never tire of reminding us that sitting all day (not so important, at the computer, desk, or on the couch after work) is extremely dangerous for your health. It is associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes, various types cancer and approximately doubling the risk of disease. But why is all this happening? A recent study, writes Business Insider, may shed light on this dark story.
It turns out that chronic sitting is associated with the accumulation of certain proteins called troponins, which are released by heart muscle cells when they are damaged. It is their surge (read: a sharp increase in quantity) in the blood that doctors begin to look for when diagnosing a patient with a heart attack.
In the study, scientists found that people who sit more than 10 hours a day (not too difficult a task for a person who sits 7-9 hours) cannot boast normal level troponins. The numbers weren't high enough to qualify the study participants as having a level of damage equal to , but the researchers were nonetheless referring to a condition known as subclinical cardiac injury.
If increased level troponins persist for a long period, a person experiences serious problems with health, which may explain why inactive people are more likely to die (especially from heart and vascular diseases) compared to those who are active.
Scientists made this discovery by analyzing data from participants in the Dallas Heart Study, an ongoing study focusing on the heart health of multiethnic residents of Dallas County. They looked at study participants at the beginning and end of the week, measuring troponin levels and tracking physical activity by using .
It is worth saying that this was the first study to examine the relationship between a sedentary lifestyle and troponins. But the results still don't mean that excessive sitting will necessarily lead to heart problems. They just show that people who sit a lot and move little tend to have more heart problems (sometimes minor) than those who do the opposite.
"The other side of the coin is what you don't do while you're sitting," lead study author James de Lemos tells the New York Times. If you're not sitting, you're more likely to be moving, which definitely helps. But it is still not clear whether they can counteract negative consequences seats.
Among study participants who sat for long periods time, but exercise seemed to have some effect. However, scientists warn that the key to success here will be reducing the amount of time spent in a sitting position. A large study published in 2016 in the Lancet found that people who sat for more than 8 hours a day but exercised at least 60-75 minutes a day had the same health risks as people who who sat twice as long and studied the same amount.
A sedentary lifestyle does not have the best effect on your health and appearance, it’s a fact. But recently scientists have found that standing a lot is also bad. To understand this situation and understand whether it is harmful to stand on your feet for a long time, sit down first. And then read the article by Fitness magazine writer Anna Maltby.
"You could say I healthy person. But I have one bad habit, which I just can’t get rid of. I'm sure you have it too. By the way, this is exactly what you and I are doing right now - we sit for a long time and for a long time. Why do I consider this a bad habit? Scientists have long proven that a sedentary lifestyle can safely be called a killer. And it doesn’t matter what exactly you do - work, watch the next episode of “Game of Thrones” or chat with your girlfriends over a cup of coffee - all this greatly affects your health. I'll be more specific. Spending two hours a day on a chair, sofa or anywhere else increases the risk of obesity (by 23%), cancer (by 8-10%), diabetes (by 20%), heart disease (by 15%) and early death (by 13%).
“The human body hasn't changed much in the last few hundred years, but lifestyle hasn't changed much,” James Levine, M.D., Ph.D., author of Get Up! Why Your Chair Is Killing You and What You Can Do About It. “Our ancestors spent almost the entire day on their feet and only sat for a couple of hours. Now we sit for 12-15 hours a day.”
“If the prospect of a serious illness isn't enough to convince you, here are a few other consequences of a sedentary lifestyle: fatigue, muscle atrophy, decreased joint mobility and, ultimately, a saggy butt,” says Jill Miller, creator of the Yoga Tune Up program, which improves posture and relieves back pain.
But it just so happens that man is a creature whose habit is not to stand all day (hey guys, I’m still in a chair, even if I’m writing about why it’s bad). If, after reading all this, you have already begun to think about how to quit a job that forces you to sit so much, do not rush to conclusions. Any waiter who is forced to spend many hours on his feet will tell you how exhausting such work is, how much pain it causes and generally has a detrimental effect on health. “If you spend a lot of time on your feet, your circulatory system, legs and back are very heavy load“,” comments Alan Hage, Ph.D., head of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory at Cornell University.
So what should you do if both sitting a lot and standing a lot are bad? Experts advise using a couple of strategies, which will be discussed further. They are easy to follow. Believe me, I tried them all on myself first.
Sit less, stand more
Of course, first you need to find a balance. If your job forces you to spend a lot of time on your feet (suddenly you are a teacher, a courier, a waiter, a store consultant, anyone), try to take breaks during which you sit. This will relax your back and legs. If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, get up every hour and walk for 10 minutes. During this time, you can easily take documents to another department, pour yourself some water, chat with colleagues, call your parents. In general, the main thing is not to allow yourself to sit continuously all day.
The easiest way to do this is to set a timer on your computer or phone and record the time. ( The ones made for the computer can lock the screen for a couple of minutes every hour, so you won't be tempted to ignore the timer- approx. "Challenger"). And that's completely normal. This is my way of reminding myself to drink water. I also stand when I check my schedule for tomorrow, read the news, or check my email. In general, I use every opportunity not to land in a chair. And what’s interesting is that my colleagues, seeing my new habits, unanimously said that they also want to start doing the same.
Stand and sit correctly
Posture is very important. If you hunch your back, it starts to hurt later, and your lungs also don’t work to their full potential. Soon the neck also becomes numb. “The more you hunch, the more your head tilts forward. And this puts a lot of stress on the spine. To be precise, every centimeter of head movement increases the load by almost 5 kg,” says Miller.
Your activity will also solve many problems. So it's time to get restless! Try changing your chair positions every 15 minutes. If you are standing, shift from foot to foot, walk.
I'm a restless person and I could never sit in a chair for too long. But every time I sit down to work, I find myself huddled in front of the monitor like a question mark. Tennis balls help a lot with this problem. I just put them between my back and the back of the chair. They pleasantly massage your back, while forcing you to maintain your posture.
Choose what you will actually do
Of course, gadgets can motivate you to be active, but most often they are only enough for the first time - many people get very interested in something at first, but there is a chance to quickly “burn out”. Gadgets will really help you only if you like to walk, run, or ride a bike. Otherwise it won't work.
I have to admit, for the past few months I could have run on the treadmill or ridden the exercise bike and not paid for it, but I hardly used them even once. I just hate these machines. Personally, I prefer to stand, stretch, break, and move throughout the day.
Russian labor legislation does not regulate working on your feet in any way. Meanwhile, many professions do not require sedentary work and long breaks. The Village found people who spend long hours on their feet and asked how they cope with the physical demands and whether they love their jobs.
Irina
chef barista
I have been working as a barista, chef barista and trainer for five years. Of course, I started, like everyone else, as a simple barista, then there were promotions, but in general I still work behind the counter, with guests and on my feet. Our schedule is free, we can plan it ourselves. Some people find it convenient to work 5/2, others every other day. I work on weekdays and relax on weekends. I work four evening shifts and one morning shift because I like to sleep. The shift lasts eight to nine hours.
How much time I spend on my feet a day depends on the coffee shop and the flow of guests. Any person behind the counter only stands when he is busy with something. If it’s been raining all day and there’s been no one for three hours, it goes without saying that there’s no point in standing and sadly looking out the window. If you have already done all the work, washed the equipment and the counter, then you can sit down and relax. We try to organize a chair or stool for all baristas, so that there is an opportunity to sit down during times when there is absolutely nothing else to do. And this happens sometimes.
When it’s a normal working day, it’s not so much that there’s nowhere to sit, but that there’s simply no time for it. We're always busy. Either we are lucky with the barista, or it is written in our subcortex: if there is something to do, then we will never sit down to rest.
To my surprise, working this way is easier than sitting. I have days when I have to do a lot of boring office work - it seems to me that it is more difficult to sit at the computer for three hours than to stand for eight. When baristas start their first shifts, they feel strange - mainly because we do not move, but more often we stand - at the counter or at the coffee machine. But then they get used to it.
The key to a successful shift is shoes. I have very finicky feet and find it difficult to find ones that are comfortable. I always work in sneakers; the Vans last and sole suit me. In winter, these are also comfortable shoes like Ecco with orthopedic soles. If it's not one of these options, I'm unlikely to be able to stand for more than eight hours and successfully drive home.
To do this kind of work, you need to support physical fitness. The back gets tired if the muscles are not trained. And it's very easy to start slouching. I had to include in my daily diet exercise, which loads the back muscles, and some squats and lunges, which load the legs. It's hard without this.
I’m already used to it and sometimes I don’t feel tired at all when I go out after my shift and I’m ready to hang out somewhere. If the shift lasts longer or you had to replace someone and go out for 15 hours, then, of course, there is no question of anything other than a taxi, a pillow and a bed.
Daria
florist
I work in a florist workshop. We deal with flowers, create compositions and bouquets for our clients. Each florist has his own responsibilities and workload. Since I am a senior florist, among other things, I am responsible for the largest and most responsible orders and training of interns. The workload in the workshop is always different, it is especially busy during the holidays and wedding season.
Legs, knees and back constantly hurt, especially after the holiday marathons. After March 8 in general you come to your senses in two weeks
I came across very democratic employers who created comfortable conditions for their florists. We don’t have any special restrictions, we feel quite free. You can sit as much in a day as your conscience and the number of orders allows. Officially, the working day lasts from 9 to 20 hours, but sometimes I have to stay late - because of this, it is difficult to calculate the exact amount of time I spend on my feet.
Since I have a lot of responsibilities, I don't often allow myself to sit on the couch. That's why I get very tired during the day. And, naturally, this has a strong impact on health. Legs, knees and back constantly hurt, especially after holiday marathons. After March 8, you generally come to your senses for about two weeks.
I try to work more in sneakers, which actually doesn’t help much when you’re stuck at your desk all day. I try to stretch and exercise and sometimes go to the pool. I recently went for a massage and was told that I needed to pay more attention to my legs and lower back. I don’t have varicose veins, but I’m very worried about my knees, because last summer I encountered pain while riding a bicycle. Of course it's scary.
Sergey
bartender
I've been working as a bartender for a little over seven years. lately I'm a bar manager in a chain of bars, I'm responsible for everything. But I work behind the counter a couple of days a week to stay sharp.
The shift lasts from 8 to 12 hours. We have breaks - once every two hours for five minutes and one 15-minute break per day. At this time you can sit, the rest of the work is on your feet, but I cannot say that it is monstrous. Yes, it happens that your back hurts, but it’s not a disaster. In my opinion, it’s worse for people who spend all day sitting in a confined space. The physical activity of those same taxi drivers is much higher than mine: although I stand on my feet all day, I am in motion.
The comfort of standing work depends, for example, on the floor covering. As a rule, in a bar we work on rubber mats to avoid breaking bottles. Walking on them is a little easier than on a bare floor. Shoes also play a role. Better all standing in comfortable sneakers all day is better than sitting in uncomfortable office shoes. If I feel physical fatigue at the end of the working day, it is less than moral.
Physical activity for the same taxi drivers it is much higher than mine: Even though I stand on my feet all day but I'm on the move
Many come to work in bars, leaving the office desk at their previous jobs. But, as a rule, these are people under 25 years of age, and adaptation to standing work they don't need it. Of course, there are individual cases - arthritis and arthrosis - but in general there are no problems. The secret is the same for everyone - general physical fitness. In our case, it is better to choose a constant cardio load - running or team sports like basketball.
Irina
waiter
I've worked on my feet all my life. My shift lasts 10 hours a day, there are short breaks of 5-10 minutes and one half-hour per day. When people get a job, they know what awaits them: the job of a waiter does not involve sitting around.
I live With constant pain in the back, which can only be dealt with periodic massage
Naturally, I get tired at work. I feel this most strongly when I leave work, get on the subway and relax. On the one hand, this work can be regarded as free fitness, on the other hand, it affects your health. I live with constant back pain that can only be relieved by periodic massage. I don’t use skincare products yet, but I should think about it more seriously in the near future.
Love
hairdresser
I am a hair stylist, I have irregular working hours - sometimes I stand for three to four hours a day, and sometimes for 10-12. Sometimes I allow myself short breaks - for example, when a client sits with dye on his hair. I individual entrepreneur I distribute the workload myself, but even despite this, the work has a significant impact on my health.
At the end of the working day, the bones in my feet sometimes hurt and my lower back often ache. The problem of varicose veins is avoided - perhaps due to the fact that I regularly attend Pilates classes. In addition, I periodically massage my feet. Here I could joke that I’m still taking hashish, and my legs start dancing on their own and whisper that everything is fine, but I won’t. I just take very hot baths twice a week - my legs steam and I feel better.
Kate
pizza maker
I've been working in a pizzeria for about two years. My shift lasts eight hours, almost all of which I spend on my feet. During a shift in the kitchen, we cut ingredients, prepare pizzas and other products, clean our workplace, and wash dishes. The shift includes lunch, which lasts 30 minutes. This is enough for me to switch gears, eat and regain strength. Of course, if you are not feeling well, you can warn the manager and take a break.
I have scoliosis but such work does not affect my well-being. Vice versa, mobile work is even better than sedentary work
At first, everyone is scared to work like this. The first days are especially difficult, but then you get used to it and get involved. With diseases of the back or legs, it is probably more difficult. I have scoliosis, but this type of work does not affect my well-being. On the contrary, mobile work is even better than sedentary work.
There are many tasks in my head, there is always work, so there is no particular need or desire to sit and rest. I like that I am constantly busy with something. After your shift, you can sit for 15 minutes, then you will find the strength to do something else.
In my free time I sleep. I don’t play sports, but I like to walk, walk a lot. I don’t have any illnesses, I wear regular sneakers at work. It’s just that with such work it is very important to correctly calculate your strength and recover.
Anastasia
salesman-cashier
I worked at a culinary chain for about a year and quit a month ago. At the interview they warned about physical activity - I knew what I was doing. I tried to prepare myself mentally, physically - no, I just lay on the couch. The first few days of work I didn’t understand what was happening and what all these people wanted from me. Then I really wanted to turn around and leave. It was very painful. Personally, my legs ached to the point of tears. But I worked two to two, so after a while I got into a groove.
The work shift lasted 13 hours, there was only one break - for lunch. In theory, it lasted 20 minutes - during this time you need to have time to go to the toilet, smoke and eat. But no one urged us - as soon as we had lunch, we would have lunch. To go to the toilet in the middle of a shift, you had to give a warning.
It was very painful. For me personally My legs ached to the point of tears. But I worked two after two, so After some time I got into a rut
About sitting down working hours, there was no talk. In every free minute we had to do something useful. In addition to serving guests, there are many other little things to do - tidy up somewhere, put stickers on, bring plates. If you couldn’t find a task, others will definitely find it for you. In the end I just quit. But not because physical activity- at the end of work the day flew by like five minutes.
Is it legal to work on your feet all day?
Ilya Savelyev
lawyer at AVT Consulting
The law does not provide for separate provisions for workers who work on their feet during the working day. But it provides time for rest. The Labor Code of the Russian Federation establishes that a break for rest and food should be no more than two hours and no less than 30 minutes during the working day (Article 108 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation). This rule is general and applies to all categories of workers. Rest time is regulated by local regulations of the employer, which should not contradict this norm. This issue may also be regulated by an agreement with the employee.
The law directly establishes the employee’s right to rest as one of the fundamental ones, the implementation of which the employer is obliged to ensure (Article 21 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation). The establishment of any restrictions and prohibitions on rest that contradict the established period of time for rest is illegal and violates the Labor Code of the Russian Federation. If the employer creates conditions that violate the right to rest, the employee should initially try to resolve the dispute through negotiations. If this method does not work, you should contact the labor inspectorate with a statement of violation of the law. Based on the request, an inspection will be carried out, and as a result, an order to eliminate violations will be issued, which is mandatory for the employer.