stand up to live better

If you find that sitting or lying down makes up a good portion of your day, then it may be time to make some adjustments. More than ½ of the average person’s waking hours are spent sitting- working at a computer, sitting on a train, watching Game of Thrones, you get the gist. As we know, our world is becoming more dependent on technology and our environment has become very conducive to sedentary habits which means we have to be extra mindful about moving our bodies and here’s why:

In an 800,000 person study, compared to those who sat the least, people who sat the longest had a:

• 112% increase in risk of diabetes
• 147% increase in cardiovascular events
• 90% increase in death caused by cardiovascular events
• 49% increase in death from any cause

You might wonder why these statistics seem so extreme. Well when we sit, our muscles are inactive and our metabolism and mental processes slow down. This limits our body’s ability to manage our blood sugars, blood pressure and burn body fat which increases our risk for diabetes, dementia, and heart disease. Additionally, our risk of dying increases- regardless if you exercise regularly- because sitting too much is recognized as an independent risk factor for poor health.

So what can we do?

Standing or moving around for a few minutes every half hour of sitting is a great place to start. You burn 30% more calories when standing than you do sitting! It may sound insignificant, but those calories absolutely add up. So, the next time you find yourself lounging around for a long period of time or working at your computer remember this: if you sit 3 hours less each day and stand instead, you will add 2 years to your lifespan. Yes please!