Sitting for more than 8 hours a day may have some serious health effects.
From cubicle employees to freelance writers, a significant percentage of white-collared professions require sitting for long periods of time. In fact, the Huffington Post reveals that “the typical U.S. adult is sedentary for 60 percent of their waking hours and sits for an average of six hours per day….”
If you think that exercising will counteract working at the computer for hours, WebMD disagrees – stating that even with recommended daily exercise, extensive sitting increases your risk for decreased mental health, heart disease, and becoming physically disabled.
WebMD cites a study which reveals “…that older women who…” sat for 11+ hours a day were most likely to die within twelve years of the study. According to another study they cite, sitting actually increases your appetite – which, without proper exercise, can lead to obesity and cardiovascular problems. What compounds the dangers from the increased appetite is that sitting decreases the enzymatic activity of lipoprotein lipase “…which helps burn fat.” Thus, you’ll be packing carbs and fat by eating more, and your body will burn them less – all due to sitting extensively.
Sitting can also make you more susceptible to bone fractures because it causes the body to increase bone mineral density but not increase bone formation.
However, the physicians WebMD interviewed agreed that the dangers of sitting can be nullified if you stand and walk around after every half-hour of sitting.
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Teri
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