Whether you think of yourself as active or not, squeezing in an hour or two a day to workout a day does not make you any less sedentary; especially if you spend the rest of the day parked in front of a desk.
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A study published in the journal Circulation: Heart Failure stated that men who sit for five hours or more during the day had a 34% increased chance of heart failure compared to people who were not that sedentary; regardless of the fact that they worked out or not.
What’s worse that sitting for an extended eventually leads to mortality over time.
According to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine sitting for more than three hours a day can leads to 4% of all deaths! Now, that’s a scary number for activity that is classified as a ‘low-risk’ activity.
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There’s enough evidence to back up this claim as well, with research such as one published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, which shows that sedentary behaviour for a prolonged period of time can not only lead to early death but also a host of diseases; including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer in adults.
Knowing what you now know you can assess if you have a ‘siting disease’; a sedentary lifestyle that brings with it a host of health issues. But, we understand that for most of us sitting for prolonged periods during the day may be unavoidable.
Here’s what you can do if you can’t help the fact that you’re desk-bound:
Perform activities that come under the classification of NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis)
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This includes activities like stretching, turning and bending for at least 5-10 minutes every hour. Any activity, except sleeping and exercise, where energy is expended can be categorised as NEAT. You can even stretch out your entire body on your chair a few times a day and notice a difference.
The more water you drink, the less hungry you feel
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The same part of your brain is responsible for hunger and thirst cravings, which results in mixed signals, according to Livestrong. Drinking enough water to stave off dehydration is likely to curb those sugar cravings as well.
