Sitting in the office for long periods of time in a day can lead to diabetes and heart disease according to the American Heart Association and surprisingly, even for those who exercise.
Sitting in the office should now be done less
A recent study published by the American Heart Association points out that staying seated could negatively impact the blood vessels and the heart, according to study lead Deborah Rohm Young.
What’s alarming as well, is that fact that until now it is difficult to measure how inactive people are and not enough proof to suggest how much activity or exercise is needed to counter the ill effects of sitting for long periods of time.
But for now, as a stop-gap measure, office workers should sit less and move around a bit more.
Sit less, move more
“The evidence to date is suggestive, but not conclusive, that sedentary behaviour contributes to cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk,” says Young, explaining that “given the current state of the science on sedentary behaviour and in the absence of sufficient data to recommend quantitative guidelines, it is appropriate to promote the advisory, ‘Sit less, move more’.
A highly recommended activity level for desktop workers is to stand up and move around every hour and at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise like brisk walking around your neighbourhood or the park, as a minimum goal.
A growing sedentary lifestyle
Studies show that average Americans spend 6 to 8 hours a day in sedentary time and older citizens spend no less than 8.5 to 9.6 hours a day according to Young.
A sedentary lifestyle also increase the risk of having diabetes, as it largely impacts the why the body uses insulin in the conversion of food to glucose that the body uses for fuel.
Without the optimal process in place, it leads to an abnormal increase of insulin levels, thus, results to acquired diabetes.
The Center for Disease Control recently recommended for long-term campaigns, including awareness and education to push for more physical activity among all age groups to counter the ill effects of a sedentary lifestyle.
Among the recommendations were for communities to establish a partnership with their local officials to develop more activity-focused areas like bicycle lanes, stairwells, walking paths, free to use exercise facilities, swimming pools and jogging paths, among others, to promote more exercise activities among constituents.
The post Sitting In The Office May Cause Death, Experts Say appeared first on NUTRITION CLUB CANADA.
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