Sitting Is Killing You - What You Can Do About It?

Many Americans are perfectly happy and comfortable spending most of their day sitting at a desk — and some office workers might even be grateful that their job, not being physically taxing, doesn't put their health at risk in the same way as a job that involves physical labor would. Unfortunately, whether you are a hard worker or just too lazy to get up, the health risks of sitting for long hours each day are significant. The truth is that the longer you sit, the bigger your butt, but there's more to the story, too.
 

Okay, that may be a slight misinterpretation, but scientists know that sitting for long hours, starting at just a few hours in a row, kicks the body into a process which increases fat storage and slows the work of insulin to uptake glucose. This happens because when we sit, muscles stop contracting at their normal rate, and slow by about 40% compared to just walking.

This is just a small way in which a sedentary lifestyle can put your health at risk. However, when it comes to sitting for long periods several days in a row (or even every single day, for at least eight hours a day), the real problem occurs. Scientists examined what happens to people who sit for up to 6 hours per day. In these studies, it only took 2 weeks for serious physiological changes to take place.

If you sit for 6 or more hours each day, your risk of cardiovascular disease increases by up to 64%, and 7 years of good quality of life can easily be lost. To make matters worse, many people sit for up to 15 hours per day. The risk of developing several types of cancers also increases with a sedentary lifestyle.

After your first 2 weeks of sitting, scientists have noted increases in insulin levels signifying increases in blood sugar levels, as well as increases in bad cholesterol levels, and fatty molecules. This means that your muscles have stopped taking up fat for energy, and oxygen consumption drops. What does all this really mean for you? Your body is about to start a process of accumulating fat, and you will feel out of breath even when taking brisk walks or climbing a flight of stairs.

Once your routine has been established, the dangers of sitting for more than 6 hours per day become more obvious and long-term. You'll likely notice changes in your body. Fat accumulation is almost inevitable, along with loss of muscle mass, and even bone density. A study published in the journal Nature explained just how bad it can be for women to sit for long hours each day, losing up to 1% of bone density each year! This, of course, is a big risk for osteoporosis.
 
Sitting still for several hours is not how we were built. People were designed to move around. These odds aren't looking so good; however, there are a few simple things you can do to counteract and fight back for those years of good life and good health.

There are a several steps you can take to counteract the health risks associated with sitting for several hours each day (or even most of the day). Let's take a look at the ways in which you can improve your health — which isn't just good in the long run, but can also help you feel better in the present.
 

Get up and stretch or even just take a few steps around every hour. This is a great way to keep things moving, and to break up your day. Stand at your desk if you can, or, take a minute to walk around the office to see a co-worker, visit the copy machine or go get a drink of water. Whatever it might be, find an excuse to get up and move. This helps your body break the pattern.

A healthy person should walk 10,000 steps each day to maintain good health. You'll be amazed to find out how well or poorly you might be doing. Many are shocked to find out, after buying a pedometer to track their steps, how few they actually take. Many of us only ever walk around the house, to the car and to the office desk. This leads to as little as 2000 steps per day; far from what we need. Even though you may not have time for a walk, there are other ways to counterbalance the amount of sitting you do in a day.

• Walk to the printer

• Take the stairs to your office

• Park farther away in the parking lot rather than the closest spot to the mall, grocery store, office, and anywhere else you have to drive to.

• Remember that every step counts, and taking the long way to the washroom, copy room and lunch room at work all add up!

The daily recommendation for activity is a minimum of 30 minutes per day. This is not a lot, but it may confuse some who are not sure what moderate activity is. Its not running on a treadmill, or even pumping weights.

30 Minutes of moderate physical activity can be anything from tough house work to working in the garden, briskly walking, and more. Moderate activity can be really easy once you get used to doing it everyday. Anything beyond this intensity of physical activity is known as high intensity. High intensity activity includes running, long jogs, climbing hills, hiking, lifting weights, playing basketball or soccer, and more. The more you can do, the better!

Even better news is that you can break up your activity into two or even three segments which add up to 30 minutes each day. This can be 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes on your lunch break, and ten minutes on the way home, or in the evening.
 
If you take public transportation to work, think about walking further to a different stop and getting off early on the way home. Taking the extra few minutes won't make a huge dent in your day, saving you time in the long-run.

Once you become active and start breaking up your bouts of sitting, you may start to feel a little better about yourself, not to mention, feel more alert and energized. People were not built to sit all day long; to take back your health and reduce the risks associated with sitting for hours at a time, remember to break up your day, walk a little more, and track your activities.