Numerous studies have linked sitting with chronic diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes (for example see the recent study by Rosenkranz et al 2013 and the Sitting and chronic disease page on Physiopedia for more information). The restrictions imposed by our working lives mean that significantly reducing the amount of sitting we do is difficult, however research has also suggested that taking regular short breaks from sitting can alleviate many of these problems (e.g. Healy et al. 2008). Remembering to take and having the discipline to take these breaks then becomes the challenge.
There are various approaches we can take to do this such as setting a regular alarm on our computer or phone, but these approaches do not take into account any activity we do take and in our experience over time your motivation to respond to these alerts rapidly diminishes.
Enter Rise a new wearable device that records your sitting periods, alerts you to take a break and also adds a dimension of competition with your colleagues to help motivate you to embed this behaviour into your daily life. This project is currently seeking funding for its first production run and we feel this represents a great opportunity for our profession to support an example of simple technology which could help ourselves and our patients take steps to adopt healthier lifestyles.