FEEL THE BURN
Sitting at your desk burns far fewer calories than standing while working or — even better — walking. Yet, most of us sit quite a bit — an average of 5 hours and 41 minutes each day.
When you sit for just 20 minutes, your caloric expenditure drops to just 1 calorie per minute, and when you burn fewer calories, your risk for obesity increases. This can trigger a higher risk for developing diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, certain cancers — including breast cancer and colon cancer — and joint pain.
Beyond weight gain and its associated complications, there are other threats to sitting for long periods. For example, the enzymes that break down fat drop by as much as 90 percent, good cholesterol drops by 20 percent, insulin effectiveness drops by 24 percent and the electrical activity in your leg muscles shuts off and puts your inactive legs to sleep.
TL;DR: If you want to avoid the health risks associated with a sedentary work environment; you’ve got to get up out of your seat!
Of course, you’re not only sitting in the office. You sit during your daily commute, during meals, or just to unwind at the end of the day on the couch while you ‘Netflix and chill.’
All told, most of us do a lot of sitting.
Contrary to popular belief, time clocked in at the gym isn’t necessarily going to help to counter the negative effects of sitting all day either, just as “going for a run will do little to counter the negative effects of a pack-a-day smoking habit,” according to James Vlashos.