Let me start this out by saying: Nothing on this earth takes eight hours. The fact that the “modern” workday is set up in this fashion is utterly appalling/cruel and unusual punishment. Everything that needs to be done during a workday can usually be finished in four hours. What makes it worse is that, as children, we’re conditioned to think we only have to get through six hours a day. Why the sudden two-hour spike when we hit adulthood? Plus, during those six hours in school, movement and interaction was at least somewhat encouraged (especially if you had a substitute teacher).
In any case, the truth of the matter is, there is no way to sit in one place for eight hours. Many breaks and excuses for breaks must be taken. “Oh I need coffee,” “Oh I need to take a shit for thirty minutes” (at least you’re sitting in a different seat), “Oh I need to make copies and refill the paper tray for the twentieth time today.” There are many innovative ways to come up with not sitting at your desk. You just have to be shrewd about it. Otherwise, you can risk severe muscle atrophy, blood clots and/or bedsore-like symptoms around your ever-growing backside (office jobs are a great way to promote weight gain too–unless, of course, you’re the classic Midtown archetype with a gym membership you use on your lunch break).