Your body was designed to move, and spending a lot of time sitting increases your risk of many health problems. According to some studies, it increases your risk of premature death from all causes as much as smoking!
Here are some stats:
- sitting for more than eight hours a day is associated with a 90 percent increased risk of diabetes
- People who sit the most have a 147 percent increased risk of cardiovascular events relative to those who sit the least
- Women who sit more than six hours a day are 37 percent more likely to die prematurely than those who sit less than three hours a day
These are some pretty scary numbers! But here’s a simple thing you can do to help your health – after 20 minutes of sitting, get up and walk around a minute or two, maybe have a few sips of water while you’re at it. Taking these kind of breaks has also been shown to increase the brain’s blood flow, so you may even feel more alert and focused. If you’re really ambitious, do a set of 10 push-ups, sit-ups, and squats and you’ll be super fit in no time.
Written by Baris Huner, Pharmacist at Intrepid Pharmacy Oshawa