How much does sitting down hurt you?

According to the Mayo Clinic, sitting down for more than four hours a day can increase your risk of death by any cause by 50 percent. There’s also a 125 percent risk for cardiovascular disease.

The countless hours you spend sitting motionless at your desk are literally killing you.

“Yes,” you may be saying, “I know I sit all day, but my morning workout makes up for it. I’m not that sedentary.”

Unfortunately, science is telling us that sitting for a long time may undo the benefits of your vigorous exercise routine.

Just because you may workout before or after work doesn't mean you aren't doing damage to your body.  You actually may not even be getting all the benefit from working out if you sit to long. 

I found a study from the University of Texas that tested how prolonged sitting affected insulin response after a meal.  I will save you all the scientific parts but pretty much in the study, the participants who were sedentary for 2, five day periods.  The first 5 days they ate the same meals and did not workout.  The second 5 days they ate the same meals but ran on a treadmill for an hour everyday.  After taking measurements on the 5th day each time, the results showed that the high intensity treadmill runs did not improve their metabolism.

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​ This is surprising because high intensity exercise usually enhances insulin sensitivity.  It appears that the sedentary lifestyle appeared to create a resistance to the effects of the exercise. 

So its not all about crushing your workouts everyday, that may not be enough.  I am not saying "F*ck it" and sleep in but if you're busy and spend most of your time at your desk, you need to get up and move. 

Here's an idea, Get. Up. Every. Hour!

Easy solution, keep a bottle of water on your desk, and try to finish it every hour.  We're knocking out 2 birds with one stone. Staying hydrated and since you will have to go to the bathroom, you are forced to get up and move.  BAM!

Getting up every hour will not only give your eyes and mind a break from work, it will help you burn more calories throughout the day.  It is a concept called NEAT, non-exercise activity thermogenesis. 

Here is a couple things you need to know about NEAT:

1. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is an enzyme that plays an important role in converting fat into energy. Sitting for too long can reduce levels of LPL. The more you move, the higher those levels stay.
2. Standing makes a big difference.  Standing is one form of NEAT that helps increase your caloric expenditure.

So get up, stand up, walk around a little more than you think.  At the end of the day, get off your chair, leave your desk and go for a little walk.  I promise it will make a huge difference in your health even though you may not feel the immediate effects.  

If you need a reason to move, or a kick In the ass, sign up for one of my classes at www.sweatfh.com. 

​No weights, no judgements, just hard work and 2, yes 2 motivating coaches!