A new study published by Kaiser Permanente in Southern California found that men who sat five hours a day or more were about 34 percent more likely to develop heart failure, compared to those who sat for two hours a day or less.

The study also tracked activity outside of the office, and found that even men who were regular exercisers — running for 30 minutes after work or riding their bikes in the morning — were still at risk of heart disease if they spent the rest of the day sitting.

NPR’s Allison Aubrey joins Here & Now’s Sacha Pfeiffer to discuss the study. She says the lesson here is move more and sit less, take the stairs instead of the elevator and walk down the hallway to talk to a colleague.

Follow the link to read/hear the rest of the story

http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2014/01/23/low-intensity-activity

What is new in the ergonomics of sitting at an office workstation and office chair design?

Like a modern skyscraper, the human spine defies gravity, and defines us as vertical bipeds. It forms the infrastructure of a biological machine that anchors the kinetic chain and transfers biomechanical forces into coordinated functional activities. The spine acts as a conduit for precious neural structures and possesses the physiological capacity to act as a crane for lifting and a crankshaft for walking.

To read the rest of this incredibly extensive and informative article pleas follow this link http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1144130-overview

Mr. Drudge, 46, hasn’t just been sitting for two decades. Like so many workers chained to their technology, he has been hunched over desktops, laptops, smartphones and tablets, and it’s all taken a toll on his body. He tries to limit the time he spends sitting to four or five hours a day, but sometimes he sits for up to 17 hours.

The definition of posture can be rather vague. A classic ergonomic text book discusses aspects of posture at great length without actually defining it (Pheasant 1998). A more recent ergonomic textbook is slightly more explicit: 'posture is defined as the average orientation of the body parts over time.' (Bridger 2003). An undergraduate textbook on human movement also keeps it simple: 'posture means simply position or alignment of body parts' (Trew and Everett 2001). A dictionary defines it as 'the way one holds one's body while standing, sitting or walking', or 'a particular position or attitude of the body' (Chambers Concise Dictionary 2004).

Standing at your desk at work has its benefits — a lower risk of obesity, cancer and death, as well as a boost in mood and alertness. But there are also serious risks.

The sciatic nerve has the distinction of being the largest and longest nerve in the body and when irritated, causes pain that elicits the familiar phrase, "oh, my aching back!"

The sciatic nerve is as wide as your thumb and runs from the lower back, down the buttocks, legs and to the feet. It's responsible for the painful condition referred to as sciatica.

When this nerve is compressed or strained, the resulting irritation can play havoc with everyday life. For example:

• It's responsible for more lost days of work, other than the common cold.
• Treating it can run into billions of healthcare dollars.
• It can interfere with being able to carry out the simplest everyday duties without pain