Cold weather and long days of sitting at school or work make laziness a tempting habit during a long winter, but don’t stay chained to your chair! Science is proving the longer you sit, the sooner you’ll die. New research is linking excess sitting time to chronic diseases, including America’s top three killers: heart disease, diabetes, and cancer (ABC News).
For the first time in history, a typical American is calculated at sitting for just over 9 hours a day, and 1 in every 3 Americans is obese (Medical Billing & Coding), heavily due to inactivity. We all have excuses and seemingly justified reasons for avoiding all forms of exercise, but a lack of daily physical activity is proving to be deadly.
Medical Billing & Coding’s photographic titled Sitting is Killing You says, “As soon as you sit, electrical activity in the leg muscles shuts off, calorie burning drops to one per minute, and enzymes that help break down fat drop 90%.”
America’s favorite pastime, sitting and snacking, is an especially deadly combination: inactivity paired with an intake of high levels of sodium (found in processed foods and restaurant items) is bad for your brain! Tufts University’s Health and Nutrition Letter says, “adults who combine high sodium consumption from dietary salt with low physical activity [are] at [a] greater risk of cognitive decline”. So if you can’t resist a night of watching TV, swap the chips and cookies for a handful of nuts and fruit.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a weekly total of 1.5 hours of mixed moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activities outside of activities of daily living. Performing muscle-strengthening activities that work all major muscle groups two days a week is also advised. That goal isn’t as hard to reach as it seems: surprisingly, beneficial activity can happen just a few minutes at a time – jumping rope for 1 minute can burn up to 10 calories!
If hitting the gym isn’t a part of your routine, adding a little exercise to your day is still doable, and a lot easier than you might think. Getting up to stretch and walking in place are simple ways to get your blood flowing and your muscles moving, and the burst of movement will give you more energy. Interrupting long periods of sitting at school or work by taking a short walk or climbing up and down the stairs a few times should also be taken advantage of when possible.
And if it’s winter that’s keeping you indoors, don’t let it keep you from moving. Cold temperatures make a comfy couch almost irresistible, so while sitting at home, get up every 20 or 30 minutes to stretch and move around a little. A few jumping jacks can go a long way!