Several studies in recent years have pointed out the health risks of something many of us do too much of: SITTING.
Women who spend at least 6 hours of their free time sitting have a 10 % greater risk of developing cancer…notably multiple myeloma, ovarian cancer, or invasive breast cancer….than women who spend less than 3 hours per day of their free time sitting. That’s the finding of a 2015 American Cancer Society study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
A 2015 University of Toronto review of research found that sitting for about 11 hours per day was associated with an 18 % higher risk of death of cardiovascular disease, a 17 % higher risk of fatal cancers, and a 91 % higher risk for developing risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
You might think that spending a few hours each week doing physical activities at the gym is the solution. BUT moving frequently throughout the day is MOST important.
If you usually sit for a long period of time, while driving or watching TV, or sitting in front of a computer, experts recommend taking short “activity breaks”. Some research shows that moving around (even standing up) for a few minutes every hour helps bring blood sugar, for example closer to normal.
Make a copy of this and place it near your computer or on your refrig. Better yet send a copy of this to your family of friends, start an epidemic of standing and moving more. Maybe if we all would follow this we could drive health care costs down, especially for most older individuals who sit more than move.