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Did
you know that you use less energy when
sitting versus standing? According to juststand.org,
the average person sits for 12 hours
daily and physical inactivity has become
the 4th leading risk factor for global
mortality. Most of us understand that
the human body is designed to move, but
newer research has linked sitting to
something called “metabolic syndrome”.
This is a condition that includes the
trifecta of increased blood
pressure/hypertension, cholesterol
levels and blood sugar levels - which
lead to obesity. The cause of this
syndrome has been coined “Sitting
Disease” - which is associated with an
inactive lifestyle.
The Mayo Clinic analyzed 13 medical
studies researching over 1 million
people. It was determined that prolonged
sitting, defined as more than 8 hours a
day with no physical activity, carries a
risk of dying similar to smoking one
pack of cigarettes per day. While
quitting smoking can increase your
likelihood of a longer life, these
studies showed when prolonged sitting
for work was combined with 60-75 minutes
of moderate activity daily, the
mortality risk was countered. So, the
evidence shows that more physical
activity improves health but we have to
sit to work…or do we??? You might start
improving your health by simply standing
more and sitting less. Check out this
video to get ideas of how to stand
better while working.
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