Tag Archives: sitting

Stand up!

You sit during your drive to work. You sit at your desk for 8 hours. You sit during your drive home.

Then, guess what? The majority of us sit some more (go figure!) while we watch our nightly TV programs because we are so exhausted from our day of sitting.

Unfortunately, 86% of Americans suffer this sedentary fate, resulting in a whopping 13 hours of daily sitting for a large number of workers. According to studies, this amount of sitting leads to a variety of health problems, including cardiovascular issues, cancer, Type 2 diabetes, obesity or even death. It’s simple — more sitting leads to a shorter life span.

Many people assume that going to the gym will counteract these negative side effects, but surprisingly, the amount of time spent sitting outweighs a large portion of our exercise efforts.

Sure, Skype is a magical communication tool, but why not try actually walking to your coworker’s office to speak to them? Or taking the stairs instead of the elevator and park farther away from your building — the extra steps can only help. Getting up and stretching throughout the day will also ease your tension and energize you. You could even get fancy and try out a stand-up or treadmill desk! Trust me, everyone in the office will be jealous.

Bottom line: include as much activity throughout your day as you can, even if it’s only 5-minute increments every now and then. It will ultimately lead to a happier, healthier life.