The Danger of Sitting Too Long!

Hello everyone! Well I just got back from the cardio step-aerobics class at the gym and I have to say I feel the burn! I made the mistake of taking a few days off my exercise routine. I had not been to the gym since last Thursday which makes that a total of 4 days without exercise! It is never a good idea to take so many days off but, unfortunately, sometimes life gets in the way. When this happens to you the best thing you can do is to get back in the saddle just as fast as possible. The main thing to avoid is a sedentary lifestyle. So even if you do not make it to the gym every day, you must understand the importance of not sitting too long! Oh, we all have to sit sometimes, it's inevitable and that's understood. It is not always possible to be up and about. What I am talking about though is you must resist the urge to sit constantly. Even if you have an office job, the ideal thing to do when you are on the phone is to immediately stand up and pace back and forth while you are holding your conversation. Use the ringing phone as a "reminder" to stand and pace. Condition your mind and you will condition your body. Researchers are now beginning to suspect that even though you participate in a daily exercise routine it may not be enough to counter against the effects of too much sitting thoughout the day. In a 2008 Australian study, researchers found that people who regularly break up their sedentary time with movement had a healthier waist circumference, a lower body mass index (BMI), and lower triglycerides than folks who didn't take breaks during long periods of sitting. As I have said before in earlier blog posts, I worked for almost 30 years in an office job where I spent 75% of my day at my desk which, in retrospect, I realize contributed greatly to the girth of my hips. If you work in an office where your job requires you to sit for long periods of time try these tips found in Instant Recess by Toni Yancy to help you stay active:

• Take a 10-minute activity break at a scheduled time every day.
• Park farther away from the places where you work, shop, play, study and worship
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Put printers a short walking distance away from your work or study space instead of right next to it.
• Replace desk chairs with stability balls — or use a standing desk to get rid of the chair entirely — to burn more calories while working.
• Fidget, stand up and stretch at intervals during meetings.

Remember, we are all in this together and together we can all enjoy Healthy Living Over 50!