Finns urged to eat on their feet to stay healthy...

Finland's health ministry on Wednesday urged Finns to occasionally eat their meals standing up in a bid to combat health problems linked to a sedentary lifestyle.

"Many things can be done in a standing position or walking around instead of sitting down. Standing up also works for reading a newspaper, eating, taking a coffee break and watching television," the ministry recommended in a new publication entitled "Sit Less, Feel Better".

Public health officials have become concerned with Finns' increasingly sedentary lifestyle. Excessive sitting is associated with musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular disease and obesity.

"Among those who sit more than seven hours a day, every additional hour spent sitting down increases the risk of death by five per cent," the ministry warned.

Studies cited in the publication show that adult Finns sit, lie down or stand still for more than three-quarters of their time awake. Full story...

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