Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
You might have heard this phrase before: "Sitting is the new smoking." But have you ever taken the time to realize just how much you're not moving?
A day at the office might seem busy, as you catch up on emails and go from meeting to meeting, but 90 percent of our office "activities" are performed sitting down. It's unavoidable, days filled with sitting and more sitting. And that's not all — studies show that people spend 90 percent of their leisure time sitting down as well.
It is said the average person spends about five hours a day watching TV. Dozens of studies reveal that sitting for long periods of time significantly increases our risk of heart disease, among other ailments. Not only is the lack of activity negatively affecting our heart, but it also increases the risk of blood clots. The American Cancer Society supports these facts, saying women who spend six hours a day or more have a 10 percent greater risk of getting cancer.
The solution is not to stop sitting, but to make a commitment to move. In the morning, park farther away from your destination and take those few extra minutes to walk a little more. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator will get your heart pumping. At work, make a point to get up at least once an hour to walk to the printer, to the bathroom or to the water cooler. An easy trick to get the blood flowing at your desk is stand up when on a phone call.
Experts say it's critical to our health that we get up and walk around regularly. Making a few simple changes to everyday lack of activity will start all of us heading in the right direction, and soon enough we'll be ready for more challenges ahead.
Click here for more ideas on how to get moving. Jenniffer is a Special Projects Producer who heads up the Your Life Your Health, Zero Fatalities and High 5 initiatives. For questions, feedback or possible story ideas, please email jmichaelson@ksl.com.
