It’s best not to sit down for this

In January’s British Journal of Sports Medicine there was an editorial, "Are we facing a new paradigm of inactivity physiology ," linking long periods of time spent sitting with a number of public health concerns ranging from obesity to cancer.

The sedentary habits that come with working in front of a computer all day should be counteracted with various forms of physical activity including stretching, walking and more rigorous fitness programs.

Here are some desk-friendly stretches (think of the stretching diagrams from the airplane) you can do at the office to ward off "prolonged bouts of sitting time and lack of whole-body muscular movement [that] are strongly associated with obesity, abnormal glucose metabolism, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and cancer, as well as total mortality independent of moderate to vigorous-intensity physical activity."

DumbLittleMan.com, blog with "tips for life" offers up some well-known easy stretches: Touch the sky, Side stretch, Touch your toes, Shoulder opener, Circles with your wrists and ankles, Neck rolls, Arm stretch, Arm circles, Seated twist, Quad stretch and balance, Hip opener and Seated back bend.

Detailed description here of the stretches: http://www.dumblittleman.com/2007/10/simple-stretches-you-can-do-at-your.html

Or take a yoga break - just seven minutes away from your desk: http://blip.tv/file/54363/

Full editorial: "Are we facing a new paradigm of inactivity physiology":   http://press.psprings.co.uk/bjsm/january/sm67702.pdf