Tips on staying healthy in the workplace – live chat - The Guardian

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In recent years the perils of our increasingly sedentary lifestyles have been widely accepted – but the link between sitting and health problems was first made in 1949. Scientist Jerry Morris discovered London bus drivers were twice as likely to suffer heart attacks than bus conductors who were on their feet all day. In the following decades, mounting evidence has shown that office work poses a threat to public health, increasing the risk of heart disease, obesity and early death. Meanwhile long hours spent staring at computer screens can cause eye strain, headaches and migraines.

Physical inactivity costs the global economy $67.5bn (£54.3bn) per year, comprising $58.8bn in healthcare and $13.7bn in lost productivity, according to a major report published in the Lancet in July. The study found that people need at least an hour of physical activity a day to counter the ill effects of every eight hours spent sitting.

With work becoming increasingly desk-bound – and people spending more hours chained to their desks – it can be hard to find the time to integrate physical activity into the working day. Lead author of the Lancet report Prof Ulf Ekelund acknowledges that taking breaks during the working day is not easy for some people. “It’s OK doing some brisk walking, maybe in the morning, during lunchtime, after dinner in the evening. You can split it up over the day, but you need to do at least one hour,” he says.

Ahead of Self Care Week – a UK awareness event promoting personal health management – our Q&A will explore how to stay healthy at work. If you have a sedentary job and are concerned about spending long hours glued to a screen, then join us on Wednesday 9 November from 1–2.30pm GMT for a live chat with a panel of experts. We’ll be discussing:

• How to keep tabs on your health in the workplace
  


• Office-based exercises to keep you moving throughout the day
  


• Methods for taking breaks even when you are extremely busy

The Q&A takes place in the comments section below this article. Taking part is easier than ever: create a free Guardian account or log in using your Twitter or Facebook profile to comment. Alternatively, you can tweet us @GuardianCareers or email your questions to sarah.shearman@theguardian.com who can post them for you.

Panel

Jo Blood is the managing director of Posture People, a commercial furniture consultancy. She has over 10 years’ experience assessing workstations for small and large companies, specialising in ergonomic solutions for people with disabilities and workplace-related injuries.

Nicki Cresswell is a wellbeing coordinator at the Chartered Accountants’ Benevolent Association. She is an experienced trainer and development provider with over 20 years’ experience within the private and public sectors.

Justin Eade is an active workplace consultant and digital health innovator at Glimpse, a gesture technology company. He passionately believes in physical movement for improving health and has advised organisations including the BBC to the NHS.

Andy Magill is a vitality coach at the health insurer VitalityHealth. Prior to that, Magill worked as a musculoskeletal physiotherapist, treating people of different ages and abilities, including professional athletes.

Dr Fehmidah Munir is a health psychologist and a reader at Loughborough University’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences. She has research expertise in workplace health, particularly in the prevention and management of chronic health conditions in the workplace.

Dr John Giles is an NHS consultant radiologist and medical director at Benenden. In addition to his clinical roles, he has an interest in preventative medicine and the economic problems of delivering healthcare to an ageing population.

Julia Scodie is founder of Exercise in the City, a fitness group running office-based yoga and pilates classes. Formerly a project manager in the city, Scodie used to find ways to exercise while in the office. She decided to retrain as a pilates instructor five years ago to help other people do to the same.

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