Is Sitting The New Smoking?

Today's post is a shameless plug on why I need a FitDesk.  It just so happens that Fit2Flex is having a giveaway this week and I must win!  While the vlog below includes the more personal reasons of why I need a fun desk, the post below gets into the seriousness of physical inactivity.  Check them out:

Oh and did I mention I've introduced FitDesk to celebs?! No big deal...just a day in the life of moi ;o)

I got famous blogger Perez Hilton to tweet about FitDesk...no biggie

Everyone knows that thirty minutes of exercise a day (even walking) is ideal to stay healthy.  Thirty minutes is doable - as one of my favorite quotes says "Can you limit your sitting and sleeping to just 23.5 hours a day?".  I definitely complete this fitness task each day - either walking Lily, walking during my lunch break, strength training and/or running.  According to this article from NPR, exercise can reduce your risk of diabetes and some cancers.  Plus it improves your cardiovascular health, blood pressure, cholesterol, and metabolism.  This stuff seems pretty obvious.  Most people have heard this information before.

Now studies are saying that exercise isn't enough!  Steven Blair, a professor at the University of South Carolina has been looking into how much people sit during the day - at work, commuting to/from work, watching TV, eating meals, etc.  It adds up!  Blair's study found that men who sat for over 23 hours a week had a 64 percent chance of dying from heart disease - even if they exercised!  In addition, in this article from CNN, they report that excessive sitting can cut hours off of your life.  The study CNN reported on claims that women who sat more than six hours a day were about 40% more likely to die during the 14 year course of the study.  For men, those that sat six hours a day were 20% more likely to die.  Keep in mind most people sit at work for 40 hours a week!

 

Dr. Toni Yancey says this makes sense since our bodies are not programed to be sitting so much.  We are wired to be more active beings.  She suggests taking breaks throughout the day to walk around the office.  There are many different exercises one can do at a desk to help work the main core and leg muscles and keep the metabolism going strong.  She also suggests using an exercise ball instead of a desk chair because it helps tighten your core muscles since you are forced to balance and sit up straight.  (My co-worker, Brandi, does this!)  But, your desk at home can be a FitDesk - easy solution!

So, now we don't just have to worry about getting in our daily dose of exercise to stay healthy.  We also need to focus on our physical inactivity as well.  Do toning moves and stretches while watching television.  Take a quick walk with your co-workers at lunch.  Do squats at your desk.  Anything you can do to work and strengthen your core and leg muscles during the day instead of sitting for hours at a time is key.  This is why I need a FitDesk!  Maybe they will become regular household items and replace the couch one day, you never know :o)

You can enter Carissa's contest below (just leave the winning up to me)!:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sources: CNN, NPR

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