Yeah, we know: it seems like pretty much every day, some new benign thing turns out to be killing us. But the evidence is real and upsetting: spending so much time seated is killing us.
A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine has found, in their own sobering words: “If you are sitting for most part of the day, you may have a shorter life span, even if you exercise.” Researchers did a meta-analysis of forty-one studies covering the number of hours a person sits per day, which was found to be related to risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and overall mortality. According to the researchers, more than half of the average person’s day is spent sitting, mostly at work or watching television.
In fact, maintaining a sedentary life could increase the risk of death by twenty to fifty per cent when compared to other risks (including smoking). On top of that, inactive people suffer fifteen to twenty per cent more from heart disease and cancer, and can have a very high probability of developing diabetes (up to ninety per cent). More sobering, many of those at risk have regular exercise.
According to researchers, “Avoiding sedentary time and getting regular exercise are both important for improving your health and survival.” They say thirty to sixty minutes of regular exercise is all well and good (and it is good), but recent data suggests that it just isn’t good enough.
So, time for a standing desk? Well, either that or a career change.
