Is Sitting Really the New Smoking?
Too much of anything is a bad thing. This is true of alcohol, fried food and sugar, and now the smartest in the scientific community have found a problem with sitting as well.
A recent survey showed that men who actually sit for six or more hours during the day have an overall death rate that is 20% higher than men who sit for, on average, three hours a day. The same holds true for women, except their death rate is 40% higher.
Nothing you do can cancel out the negative effects of sitting for long hours at the office. Sitting causes harm to you even if you go the gym and workout regularly. So it's time to make workplace health a priority and explore ergonomic solutions.
A closer look at how sitting negatively affects your health
When you slump in the chair at the office, the rate at which you burn calories is 66% lower than when compared to walking for the same time period. This large drop in your metabolism can be offset by taking brief walks during the day. Sitting for long periods of time leads to obesity and a higher risk of diabetes.
The actual link between obesity and sitting was recently found by the American Cancer Society. This startling finding emerged from a review of data from a recent cancer prevention study. Researchers concluded that:
Women who sat for six or more hours daily faced a 37% greater risk of death as compared to those who sat for three hours or less
For men, the increased risk of death for those who sat at least six hours daily was 17%
Those who did not exercise regularly and also sat for long periods faced even greater mortality rates – a startling 94% higher for women and 48% higher for men
A suggested antidote
Simply put, sitting less is the best medicine. Hence the steadily growing demand for standing desks.
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