Sitting is Killing You?

The Body Odd

I stumbled upon this awesome infographic on The Body Odd, which is a great site to check out if you're into health, medical oddities or psychological studies. I was pretty surprised by the findings, especially the fact that "sitting 6+ hours per day makes you up to 40% likelier to die within 15 years than someone who sits less than 3, even if you exercise." The "even if you exercise" bit really threw me off. I always figured that since I exercised, I could relax as much as I wanted when I had the time. However, if makes sense. There's a lot less activity occurring on a daily basis for many people. With commutes getting longer, people begin their days sitting in the car, go to work to sit at a desk for 8 hours, return to their cars, eat dinner, and then watch TV before bed. It's a long day, but not an active one.

Fortunately, my job requires me being on my feet for 6.5-7.5 hours a day 4 days a week, which is definitely better than having an office job and sitting all day. However, this news absolutely has me re-considering my lazy days. Now, even when I'm watching TV I'm careful not to sit idle too long. I get up and stretch and do easy exercises just to keep moving like squats and lunges. I also break up the monotony of sitting too long by doing chores like the dishes or laundry and cleaning my room - which right now can practically qualify as a workout. There's lots of little ways to be active and according to this infographic, they can be just an important to your health as working out!

Posted in: health, obesity, sedentary, sitting, the body odd