People often joke that their jobs are killing them but what if they were right? And no, I am not just talking about the raised cortisol levels from your stress-inducing job. There is actually a common work habit that most people do that is increasing their death risk. Are you aging yourself with this common work habit?
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Stop Aging Yourself: Avoid This Common Work Habit
Did you know that a study proved "Americans sit for eight to 10 hours a day." There are only 24 hours a day, and you are asleep for eight of them (if you are lucky). That leaves only 16 hours of awake time, for which you are sitting at least half of them. While you may think that seems like no big deal, it has a big impact on your body.
The NY Post shares how sitting can lead to issues with your back, hips, waistline, and heart. Additionally, "Sitting for extended periods can lead to obesity, muscle weakening, spinal stress, poor blood sugar regulation and decreased blood circulation throughout the body."
I know what you are thinking, wow sitting can do all of that! Trust me, I sit at a computer and write for a living I was terrified after learning this! Biochemist and author of "My Perfect Movement Plan", Katy Bowman shared that "sitting is actually aging you faster." It seems crazy right, the act of being inactive hurts you!
Sitting Is Deadly
As if those statistics weren't enough to scare you, I have more. The NY Post shared a study from UC San Diego that shared that "older women who sat more than 11 hours a day had a 57% higher risk of premature death than those who sat less than nine and a half hours a day."
You may be wondering how we all sit so much a day without realizing it. Well with eight hour work days we have all become glued to our desks. Unless you are a construction worker, a nurse, or a teacher, you are most likely sitting at a desk and staring at a screen for work. And we aren't even going to get into the health issues surrounding too much screen time.
So what is the solution? We all need to get more active. While the average recommended daily movement is 30 minutes a day some argue that is not enough. Professor Marc Hamilton argued that "30 minutes a day of exercise can't immunize you from what you do the other 23-and-a-half hours."
He continued with, "our bodies were built to move all day. They weren't built to be idle and stationary with a metabolic rate similar to a person in a coma." Wow, being referred to as a person in a coma is a huge wake up call.
The Solution To Breaking This Common Work Habit
If you want to stop aging yourself you can! You just need to be mindful of breaking this common work habit. Try to get up and moving as much as possible throughout the day. While I know it can be difficult to step away from the desk for extended periods of time, even 20 minutes can help.
Set a time and every hour or so stand up and do some stretches. If you can go for a walk, even if it is just around the office. Walking has a tremendous amount of benefits for the body. The NY Post shares that it "burns calories, reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, strengthens the heart and legs muscles," and so much more.
Additionally small lifestyle changes can dramatically improve your health and stop you from aging yourself as well. Things like parking farther from the door, or choosing the stairs over the elevator. If you work from home you can invest in a standing desk and a desk treadmill. It doesn't have to be extravagant, just get up and get some movement. Don't wind up being another statistic of this deadly and common work habit.
