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In the Loop: If sitting is the new smoking, here’s how to break the habit
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Research has shown that too much sitting is associated with a host of health problems. Fortunately, there are (ahem) steps you can take to combat those negative effects.
If you've spent any time as a desk jockey, you don't need us to tell you that extended periods in your chair can leave you feeling less than chipper. And as a host of research has also pointed out, too much sitting also ups your risk for developing serious health concerns, including obesity and metabolic syndrome. It can even increase your chance of dying from cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Fortunately, some folks, including our friends at Lifehacker, aren't about to take that news sitting down (so to speak). In What to Do Throughout the Day to Keep Sitting From "Killing" You, the hackers of life offer advice for combatting the mental (and metabolic) snooze caused by too much time in your chair. The secret, they say, is to move it, move it a little bit at a time. They even recommend a magic ratio, based on the Pomodoro Technique: for every 25 minutes of sitting, get up and move for five. Researchers have found this combination lowers "blood glucose and insulin levels in office workers" and, when combined with a daily 30-minute walk, "also reduces blood lipid levels."
Mayo's Jill Henderzahs-Mason backs the fruity formula. "At the bare minimum, you should get up and change positions for at least a minute or two," every 30 minutes, she tells Lifehacker. Read the rest of the article.
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This story originally appeared on the In the Loop blog.
