Article Credit: LifeScape Premier
Even if you exercise once a day, new research indicates that you need to get off your derrière. Sitting too long increases your risk of an early death.
A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine demonstrated that adults who sat for eleven hours or more a day increased their risk of dying by 40% over those who sat for less than four hours a day.
Why Would Sitting Cause Death?
According to the study’s authors, the negative effects of sitting are caused by disrupted metabolic functions, leading to vascular health issues.
Extended sitters showed several negative health indicators including higher plasma triglyceride levels, lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (the good cholesterol), and reduced insulin sensitivity.
What Should You Do With This Information?
A 30-minute exercise program did lower the mortality risk of the extended sitters as compared to completely sedentary subjects, but again did not completely make up for the extended sitting periods.
More fascinating is that a 2008 study revealed that people who take small breaks (as little as standing up and taking one step) throughout the day were able to reduce the size of their waists and improve other vital signs over people who did not take these small steps.
So it is clear that one should incorporate movement throughout the day, but the question is how (especially if you are chained to your desk!).
- Schedule 10-minute activity breaks every day
- Park farther away from any place you may go
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator
- Create an environment which forces you to get up, like putting the printer in another room
- Replace desk chairs with stability balls
- Fidget, stand up and stretch at intervals during meetings
- Buy a Standing Desk from MultiTable.com and work standing for parts of the day
This might not sound like much, but even “mini-breaks” like standing up and wiggling around for a minute at a time can help lower blood sugar, triglycerides, bad cholesterol and waist size.
