Is Sitting The New Smoking?

Written by: Dr. Daniel Corallo, DC
April 11, 2018

Sitting has become the common denominator in the modern workday. On average, the majority of workers sit 9.3 hours a day, compared to 7.7 hours of sleep. Sitting has become so ingrained in our way of living that we don’t even question how much we’re doing it. 

It appears that sitting has become the smoking of our generation. Prolonged sitting is a risk factor for all-cause mortality, INDEPENDENT OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. To put it into perspective, after one hour of sitting, the production of enzymes that burn fat declines as much as 90%. In general, a person with a high sedentary lifestyle faces SIX TIMES increase
in risk of death. 

Over the past couple of years, companies implemented this mainstreaming of standing desks. Although it certainly helps, implementing more physical activity during your workday is imperative.

Here are some great ways to get you moving:

• Walking meetings.
• Get up every 15 minutes to stretch.
• Drink LOTS of water! Forces you to get up and go to the washroom, AND ITS HEALTHY FOR YOU!
• Create walking clubs at lunch.
• Participate in at least 150 minutes of moderate to intense aerobic physical activity per week. 

Moral of the story - Get up and move!

- Dr. Daniel Corallo, DC