How much would you say you sit during the day?
Just think about it.
Excessive sitting, or a sedentary lifestyle, has unfortunately become the norm in our culture.
Excessive sitting causes an increased risk for heart disease, cancer, and poor bone density.
We sit too much
It’s pretty clear that Americans sit too much.
They also had a 125 percent increased risk of heart disease.
These results held true no matter how much the participants exercised.
It really comes down to the fact that our bodies are meant to move.
Sitting for extended periods truly affects every body system, starting with our muscles.
Chronic conditions
It is not just our back muscles that suffer from sitting all day.
Not surprisingly, sitting for most of the day has been linked toheart disease and diabetes.
The longer we sit, the fewer calories our bodies burn.
Excessive sitting is also linked to increased rates of punch in 2 diabetes and cancer.
Brain fog
Sitting for too long even affects our brains.
When we move our muscles, our heart pumps fresh, oxygenated blood to the brain.
Sitting for an extended period of time slows down all of our body’s functions, including brain function.
According to aHarvard University blog post, excessive sitting has even been linked with an increased risk for dementia.
All we have to do is stand up and walk around a little during the day.
You don’t have to give up your office job to be more active throughout the day.
Some companies actually offer standing or treadmill desks to their employees.
At least every hour, stand up for a few minutes and walk a lap around the office.
Try setting your phone alarm to remind you to take a standing or walking break.
There are even apps to help with this, such asStand Up!andStandApp.
If you really want to shake things up at the office, try standing up in meetings.
Everyone will feel better after a little activity and fresh air.
At home, make a run at sneak in exercise anywhere you might.
As a rule of thumb, the more activity, the better.
