Why Sitting Can Be Dangerous

As the Health Industry continues to advance, we are now, not only realizing the importance of incorporating physical activity into our daily lives, but the importance of avoiding sedentary activity. You may think that these are the same thing just worded two different ways, but actually, they are not. We know that the recommendations for both healthy children and adults when it comes to physical activity is at least 5 days per week/30-60 minutes per day/moderate intensity. So as long as we are meeting that requirement, we are good, right?

This is where it gets a little confusing. Just because we hit our physical activity requirements, doesn't make being completely inactive for lets say, eight hours straight, any healthier. Sedentary activity is that, which is physically inactive, such as sitting, whether it be in front of a computer at work, in a car all day, at a desk on the phone, in meetings or laying around watching movies and playing video games or reading.

And it's not just about obesity. Yes, the less we move, the easier it is to gain weight and research has proven over and over again that those who are more physically active are better able to maintain weight over time. But, sitting actually can be detrimental to our health in others ways as well. With the way our world is going, consisting of more work and less play, we are all at risk!

Don't Sit Your Life Away!- Here's WHY:

• Low NEAT (nonexercise activity thermogenesis) or the amount of calories we burn outside of actual physical activity is much less in those who are physically inactive more often than they are moving.
• Low NEAT contributes to diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer. 
• According to Dr. James Levine, sitting is worse for you than smoking, and we actually lose two hours of our life for every hour that we sit! (Dr. Levine directs the Mayo Clinic at Arizona State University working directly with Obesity Solutions Initiative and also invented the treadmill desk).

Speaking of "NEAT," how neat is this?

• Sitting too much, too often also increases our risk for disability. But how much is too much? According to Andrea LaCroix, PhD, "Those sitting more than 11 hours daily were at the highest risk." You gotta assume that any numbers getting close to that, (8-hour day driver/desk worker) would assume many of the same risks. 
• The more you sit, the higher risk you are at for high blood pressure, bad cholesterol and belly fat. 

So, what can I do?

Move! It's that simple. Especially if you are someone who has a job that confines you to a car or an office all day, here are some tips that might help you:

1. Walk, ride or jog to work.
2. Park in the farthest spot away from your office (or the grocery store, doctor's office etc) that you can safely walk from in a manageable time. 
3. Take your lunch break to exercise. This could be to go to the gym or simply walk to the restaurant a few blocks away. Make sure to go for a walk or do some sort of exercise after every meal. 
4. Pace (or get a treadmill desk!) while on the phone.
5. MAKE THE TIME FOR EXERCISE outside of work. We ALL can do it, we all can make time for the things we want to do, we just have to prioritize them!

What are your thoughts on the dangers of sitting? Do you have a tips to share with us to move more?