Sitting at a desk or computer for hours on end?
Sitting, in and of itself is an independent risk factor for poor health and premature death — even if you exercise regularly.
Sitting for prolonged periods of time, whether in front of a computer, TV, desk or sewing machine, leads to physical and mental health problems – for you AND your children.
Sitting more than a few hour every day in totlal shortens lives and reduces the quality of life.
According to Dr. Mercola:
“There is a growing scientific consensus that the more time you spend sitting, the shorter and less healthy your life may be. Excessive sitting, such as at a desk or in front of the TV, significantly impacts your cardiovascular and metabolic function.
This raises your risk for heart attack (the combination of excessive sitting and inadequate exercise has been shown to double men’s risk of heart failure), type 2 diabetes, insomnia, arthritis, and certain types of cancer — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Women who sat for more than seven hours a day had a 47 percent higher risk of depression than women who sat for four hours or less per day.
Sitting for extended periods of time increases your risk for premature death. This is especially concerning given the fact that you may be vulnerable to these risks even if you are a fit athlete who exercises regularly.
One recent study correlated sitting time and TV viewing time with increased fibrinogen and C reactive protein, which helps explain this increased cardiovascular risk.
Science now shows us that temporary vigorous exercise cannot compensate for the damage incurred by prolonged daily sitting.
It’s becoming increasingly clear that intermittent movement is critical for health and longevity, even more so than a regular workout routine. In order to be healthy, you have to get up off your behind — and you have to do it often.
The easiest strategy is to merely stand up, and then sit back down. But evidence suggests you’d be wise to go a little further—especially if you only exercise a few times a week or not at all. There are plenty of ways to increase your movement at work.
The more frequently you get out of your seat, the better, because the frequency is the most important aspect. Based on double-blind research conducted by Dr. Vernikos, the minimum number of times you need to interrupt your sitting in order to counteract its cardiovascular health risks is in the neighborhood of 35 times per day.”
So . . .
Shake your booty!
You’ll be glad you did.
Increases self esteem
Enhances general well-being
Strengthens blood flow
Improves cardiovascular and metabolic function
Reduces anxiety and depression
Optimizes glucose metabolism
Decreases risk of exercise injury
Increases beneficial oxygenation
“The World Health Organization (WHO) now lists inactivity as the fourth biggest killer of adults, responsible for nine percent of premature deaths.”