Sitting Is Killing You

You may want to stand up to read this.

On average, most people sit down anywhere between 5-12 hours a day. Some of us tend to even sit on the couch more than we sleep in our own beds. YIKES! The chair is our worst enemy because the human body was simply not made to sit around all day long! Sitting too long can lead to chronic disease, reduced life expectancy, weight gain, heart disease and depression. Here's how!

When you sit down for long periods of time, your body starts shutting down at the metabolic level. Our body's circulation also slows down, burning less calories, and  making it easier for us to gain weight. Also, the enzymes responsible for breaking down fat stop working as hard, leading to heart disease. Not to mention, your body starts using less blood sugar. Sitting is so passive that you can actually burn more calories chewing a stick of gum than just simply sitting. A new study review of more than 80,000 people shows that spending too much time sitting is linked to a two-fold increase in the risk of diabetes. Scary, huh?

I get it, most of us have jobs that require us to sit at a desk for up to 6-8 hours on a daily basis so sitting can be very hard to avoid in that situation. Get creative and find a way!

Here are some ways to break that cycle of sitting too long at work:

• Don't forget to take your breaks-outside.
• Go grab a cup of coffee or glass of water.
• Don't forget bathroom breaks as needed!
• Stand up every half hour and stretch at your desk.
• If your building as an elevator-take the stairs instead.
• Go out for your lunch break.
• Do squats at your desk.
• When you make phone calls or reading emails, stand up to do so.

What are some ways that you keep active during the day?

Sitting Is Killing You source [MedicalBillingandCoding via Daily Infographic]

Sitting Is Killing You [MedicalBillingandCoding via Daily Infographic]