Sitting Disease

In a study from the American Journal of Epidemiology, sedentary women who sat over 6 hours a day, had a 94% higher mortality rate than those who were active and sat less than 3 hours a day. Similarly, men had a 48% higher mortality compared to their relative active counterparts (Patel et al., 2010). Sitting for more than 10 hours a day is associated with a 38% higher risk of having a heart attack (Petersen et al., 2014) and with increased prevalence of obesity, type II diabetes and high blood pressure (Heer, Wilkinson, Strong, Bondy & Koehly, 2012).

Unfortunately, an average American sits 7.7 hours a day (Matthews et al., 2008). According to the CDC, an alarming 34.9%, or 78.6 million Americans are obese. If the current trends continue, it is estimated that by the year 2030 more than half of Americans will be obese (Finkelstein et al., 2012). Obesity and overweight are related to: heart disease, stroke, colon, breast, endometrial, and gallbladder cancers, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, and gallstones (NIH, 2012).

Being active is worth it! Get started today!

• þ Try different activities and find one you like—try dancing, hiking, yoga, etc. It is a simple fact that people are more likely to continue doing what they like. 
• þ Make a promise yourself—for example: “I will walk my dog for 30 minutes 5 days a week.” Put the note on the fridge to serve as a reminder and a cue.
• þ Consistency is key— Try doing a warm-up stretch every morning until it becomes second nature. Habits are more easily sustained.
• þ Don’t think you have time? Make substitutions. A 30 minute TV show can be a 30 minute walk and is much better for you.
• þ Lay out your daily timeline in a planner —you will likely find time that you didn’t think you’ve had.
  
• þ Physical activity increases life span, (NIH, 2012) so you’re actually buying yourself time rather than wasting it!