Are You Sitting Yourself to Death?

Do you sit all day long, or for a good portion of your day? If you do, then you are going to want to pay attention to what I am going to say! It may be a matter of life and death. Literally. According to cancer.org: "A new study from the American Cancer Society researchers [found] it's not just how much physical activity you get, but how much time you spend sitting that can affect your risk of death.  Researchers say time spent sitting was independently associated with total mortality, regardless of physical activity level.  They conclude that public health messages should promote both being physically active and reducing time spent sitting."

This is important because going to the gym after work or going for a run before dinner does not seem to make up for sitting all day long at work. According the study, the researchers "found that more leisure time spent sitting was associated with higher risks of mortality, particularly in women.  Women who reported more than six hours per day sitting were 37% more likely to die during the time period studied than those who sat fewer than 3 hours per day. Men who sat more than 6 hours a day were 18% more likely to die than those who sat fewer than 3 hours per day.  The association remained virtually unchanged after adjusting for physical activity level.  Associations were stronger for cardiovascular disease mortality than for cancer mortality.  When combined with the lack of physical activity, the association was even stronger.  Women and men who both sat more and were less physically active were 94% and 48% more likely, respectively, to die compared with those who reported sitting the least and being most active."

Not only should an individual be getting the proper amounts of exercise each day, but if you do have a job where you have to sit for long hours, make sure you get up from your desk and move around when you don't have to be seated.  The less time seated and the more active you are, the better off you will be.