Studies Show Sitting All Day is Bad for Your Health

BY Editor

If you are like most people in America, you probably spend a lot of time sitting down during the day, whether it’s sitting while you drive to and from work, sitting at your desk for your 8-hour workday, or sitting in front of the television while you relax at the end of your day. With all that sitting, we aren’t getting much time off our behinds, and recent studies have shown that sitting for several hours every day can actually be harmful to your health.

The Health Concerns of Prolonged Sitting

One of the biggest health concerns that is associated with sitting too many hours a day, which is often a hallmark of a sedentary lifestyle, is the risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome, including:

• High blood pressure
• High blood sugar
• Too much body fat around the midsection
• High cholesterol levels, especially high LDL and triglycerides

In addition, too much sitting throughout the day has been shown to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in the U.S., followed closely by cancer, the second leading cause of death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Mayo Clinic cites a recent study that showed people who spend more than four hours sitting in front of a television or other screen compared to those who spend fewer than two hours a day doing the same activities have a 50 percent increase in the risk of death for any reason, and a 125 percent increase in the risk of death associated with cardiovascular disease (heart attack).

Exercise Isn’t the Only Answer

Unfortunately exercise alone doesn’t seem to be enough to counteract all of the sitting that people are doing these days. Even if you do the recommended 30 to 60 minutes of exercise every day, studies have shown this doesn’t significantly reduce the risks of disease and death from too much sitting.

Instead, the solution is to spend less time sitting and more time standing and moving. You probably don’t want to quit your job, and you probably also can’t eliminate all the time that you spend doing crafts, working at home, playing on the computer, and watching television, so rather than give up all those things, you can instead find ways to stand and move while you do these activities.

One great way is to get height adjustable tables that can move up and down to accommodate both a sitting and standing position. Having an ergonomic computer desk at work and at home means you can spend part of your day sitting and part of it standing without the hassle of having two separate desks and needing to move all your things from one surface to another.

These adjustable height desks, which give you the option to change positions quickly and easily throughout the day, have been shown to reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease, increase energy, reduce chronic pain in your neck and back, burn more calories than sitting alone, and help develop better posture. If you’re looking for a great way to improve your health, start by sitting a little less every day.

Ella Gray is a happy home maker who is always looking for a way to get off her bum and stay healthy.  Please feel free to email her at ella.l.gray@gmail.com.