Bad news if you sit too much!
For some years now we have been hearing that sitting is the new smoking, but is that really true? To start with, the two can’t be compared, but I suppose it was said simply meaning that sitting is very bad for us.
Now almost everyone knows that our modern lifestyle isn’t the best one. We used to move much more, and our lives weren’t so convenient as they are today. On any given day you’re able to go through your day in a seated position. From bed to your car, to work where you sit (if you have a desk job of course) to the lunchroom where you sit, You sit in meetings and then you drive back home sitting, where you have dinner at the table, sitting and after that maybe you watch tv on the couch sitting or maybe slumping 🙂 until you go to bed.
This is a very extreme (or maybe not?) picture of a day and it may not apply to you.
Truth is we get sicker worldwide and our lifestyle doesn’t help much.
Excessive sitting time almost doubles your risk for Diabetes type II and increases your risk by 10-20% for other common chronic diseases, according to a NCBI study*. But as you can read in the study, smoking is still a lot worse than sitting. Anyone still smoking out there?? 😉
Some people however are more conscious and exercise 3 times a week for example. Have you ever thought about the fact that if you exercise just one hour a day, it’s only 4,5% of your entire day? So why don’t we all exercise, if it’s just so little? Just saying….
I’m a strong advocate to get daily movement into our lives. At least 150 minutes of some activity like walking, biking, dancing, skating or whatever you feel like. Doesn’t have to be extreme.
Now it turns out that these 150 minutes/week just isn’t enough for people who are sitting the rest of the day. It’s not about the amount of time you are exercising, it’s about the time you’re NOT moving.
Therefore, we need to get moving more and a lot more than we do at this moment.
Make a conscious effort at work to move around. Set a timer on your phone, get a special app, set up a warning on your smart watch, Fitbit or similar device.
Have a stand-up desk, move around while on the phone, when you go to the bathroom walk the long corridor up and down as I do, schedule walking meetings for example.
There are a lot of things you can do to take your health at the office into your own hands. Don’t wait for something bad to happen to change, change before this. As in work, be proactive, your health is your first and most valuable asset!
As always, my question and trying to get you more conscious; how do you achieve getting more movement into your working day?
If you’re struggling with this topic or any other, for example finding balance between work and private, don’t hesitate to get on a call with me and we can brainstorm together. Free sessions are available and I’m happy help you out!
With love and health,
Monique