Is sitting really the new smoking? That seems to be the consensus.
In addition to only burning just one calorie per minute, sitting deteriorates your muscles, increases your risk of Type 2 diabetes and makes it harder to lose weight. And if you sit for six hours per day, after 10-20 years of sitting you could lose up to seven quality adjusted life years (years without health issues or death). Additionally, the risk of dying of heart disease increases by 64%, while the risk of prostate or breast cancer increases by 30%.
Sadly, many of us are stuck sitting for quite a few hours a day, thanks to office jobs. So, what can you do about it? In a Huffington Post blog, author and career expert Caroline Dowd-Higgins suggests consciously becoming more active at work. Consider investing in devices like Fitbit and walking to meetings, for example.
“A person’s creative output increased by an average of 60% while walking – regardless of whether it was indoors or outdoors. So, not only is the walking to meetings advantageous to your health – it can promote new ideas and problem solving as well,” Dowd-Higgins writes, citing a Stanford University study.
Since we know you’re probably reading this while sitting at a computer, a word to the wise: Get up and stretch those legs!
Keep your spine and nervous system healthy by keeping your body moving! Movement is LIFE. So get up and move regular!