You know that little cube you hate so much, the one that resembles a mouse maze? Well, it turns out that it’s more harmful to your health than you probably thought.
New evidence shows that spending the majority of your day sitting down could be hazardous for your health. This is particularly worrisome considering that most Americans spend an average of 9.3 hours per day working, and only 7.7 hours sleeping.
We typically don’t mind sitting because even when we’re sitting we’re usually working, so it’s not usually regarded as a lazy activity. But lazy or not, it does have significant repercussions.
Health studies indicate that people should get up and move around so as to avoid a sort of coalescing affect which sets in after sitting for only a short time.
After only one hour of sitting, the production of enzymes that burn fat decline by a whopping 90 percent. In addition, sitting for longer periods of time slows the body’s metabolism, which impacts such things as weight loss and cholesterol production. This directly correlates to the rate of chronic illnesses, such as increased rates of heart disease and diabetes.
A study published in the journal ‘Circulation’ even went so far as to say that sitting more than 9 hours is actually lethal to your health. So do yourself a favor and get up and take a walk at lunchtime, or climb a few steps during breaks. It could actually save your life.
oh no! What to do? I usually sit at my desk for the whole 8 hours, then walk to a nearby bus stop and sit an extra 3 to get home, and when I do get home all I want to do is lie on my back. I think I will put a reminder to move around every hour or so… also an hour of gym after work… that should help, yes?
I always thought as much. Bloggers, bankers…hmmm God help us.