Have you ever realised how many hours you spend sitting down each day?
Most of us drive to work, sit behind a desk all day, before we go home again to chill out on the couch. Apparently, the average adult spends 9,3 hours sitting down – and it’s slowly killing us.
Research has shown that for every hour you spend in front of the TV or computer, your life expectancy lowers by 21,8 minutes – even if you exercise the recommended 30 minutes a day.
Every time you sit, the electrical activity in your muscles immediately slows down. This causes a chain reaction of damaging metabolic effects: your calorie-burning rate drops sharply, while your bad cholesterol and blood sugar levels go up. That’s how a sedentary lifestyle increases your risk of weight gain, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
So how can you reduce your daily sitting time when you’re not able to move around all day? Even if you work in an office, or you limited energy and mobility, there are ways to lead a more active life without having to make drastic lifestyle changes.
The simplest solution is to fit several short active moments into your busy day. Have a look at some small habits you can build to move more often.
