Courtesy of Luke Pechmann
You may have heard that “sitting is the new smoking”. Or if you follow MobilityWOD founder and New York Times best selling author Dr. Kelly Starrett says “sitting is death”. This is alarming for humans, especially if you are an athlete or parent. Excessive sitting inhibits the growth and development of our children’s brains and bodies.
Kids are now spending up to 85% of their waking hours sitting down. To see how this time is spent see the infographic at the bottom of this page. Thats why Dr. Kelly Starrett and his wife Juliet have created StandUpKids.
The mission of StandUpKids is to get every public school child at a standing desk in 10 years, to combat the epidemic of sedentary lifestyles and inactivity, and to better reflect 21st century education goals.
This is where YOU come in. We want to show America how much the swimming community cares and how progressive we can be.
What can you do RIGHT NOW?
We need every swimmer, swim parent, and coach to donate their goal 50 Freestyle time (or your favorite stroke) in a dollar amount so we can reach the funding goal and get the first all standing desk pilot school built.
You can donate by clicking this link: www.donorschoose.org DO IT NOW
It does not have to be your goal 50 free time, any amount will help. Use the hashtag #StandUpSwimmers on social media and in the comment box of the donation page to help raise awareness and show the support of the swimming community.
FUN FACTS:
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Normal weight kids burn between 15-25% more calories at standing desks.
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Obese kids burn between 25-35% more calories.
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Kids are more engaged in a standing classroom.
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Standing prevents orthopedic degradation & dysfunction including back and neck pain, repetitive stress injuries, pelvic floor dysfunction, and knee & hip disorders.
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Standing desks create the foundation for a movement-rich environment, and as one researcher put it, physical activity is cognitive candy.
Please donate today and spread the word via email, twitter, facebook and any other social media platform.
Moving > standing or sitting
After some long weekends spent standing on the pool deck, I have only this to say:
If sitting is bad for me, then I welcome the sweet embrace of death.
(*Mostly* tongue in cheek)
Yeah, there are problems with standing all the time, too.
Living kills you, basically.
Really excited Swimswam is getting involved here. Great cause and this can be a big step forward for our kids’ health.