Do you sit too much?
22. Feb, 2012 
2 Comments
Last weekend, strolling the boardwalk
I do. And that’s not good.
A new study (this is the PubMed abstract) reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows that people over 50 who sit (and, specifically, watch TV) for seven or more hours a day have a greater risk for mortality than do people who watch only one hour of TV a day.
This is not exactly news. It repeats, emphatically, what other studies have already told us:
A sedentary lifestyle is linked with a higher risk of death.
I can’t imagine watching TV for 7 hours a day. But I sit at a desk, in front of computer. Can that be much better?
Even study participants who exercised 7 hours a week still had a higher all-cause mortality rate.
That’s NOT a reason to give up your exercise program.
But it should nudge you out the door for a walk now and again throughout the day.
If you work in an office, and you’re sitting most of the day, get up once an hour.
Go make some tea (good for you!), get a cup of water at the water cooler, go talk to a coworker face-to-face instead of emailing, hit the restroom that’s furthest away, walk during your lunch and, if you can, take a short stroll again after work.
Here’s a useful AARP article that profiles a gentleman who was morbidly obese. He began walking, lost a bunch of weight and is so much healthier and happier now. It also gives some great tips for starting a walking regimen.
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i definitely sit for more than 7 hours a day. I’ve tried all kinds of things to take the edge off that—like going on mini walks every 2-3 hours (in nice weather), or doing 2-5 minutes of exercise every hour (it works for me since I work at home–I just have to set an alarm or I forget and don’t do it), or I take an extra long lunch break to work out.
If I sit too long, I turn into a zombie….and I definitely believe in the threat of long-term consequences!
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I like the idea of getting2-5 minutes of exercise every hour. Works for me, even in an office! Of course, “exercise” in those circumstances usually come down to a trip to the restroom or to make tea. You do what you can!