Sitting is the new smoking, that’s right, studies show sitting too much can have as much of a negative effect on our health as smoking. Individuals sit more now than ever, we sit at work and then come home to sit in front of the TV or computer, and it’s killing us!
According to the Mayo Clinic, sitting increases the risk of obesity, increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess fat around the waist (visceral fat) and abnormal cholesterol levels – it also causes increased risk of heart disease and cancer. In a study that compared individuals who logged less than 2 hours in front of a screen to those who spent more than 4 hours of recreational screen time, the group who had more screen time were 125% more likely to have heart disease, angina or a heart attack.
Look at our children, they spend more time in front of a screen than they do playing sports or engaging in any sort of physical activity. Childhood obesity rates are staggering!
We all know the risks associated with smoking, in fact, according to the CDC, the percentage of people who smoke has dropped from 42.4% in 1965 to 16.8% in 2014. People are changing their behavior as they’re more educated on the health risks of smoking, it’s time to educate individuals on the risks of sitting.
Fortunately you can easily counteract the effects of sitting. Adults should aim to get 30 minutes of daily exercise. In addition, if you sit at work, try standing up when you take a phone call, set your cell phone alarm to remind you to stand up and move every hour, walk with coworkers on your breaks and at lunch.
Remember, control the things you can control!
