How Much Time Do You Spend Sitting Each Day?

By: Gen Wright Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Many people in our modern sedentary world do not get the recommended amount of daily exercise activity and it is easy to see why. We spend an average of nearly eight hours a day sitting and another four hours of leisure time watching television, on the internet or playing some sort of computer games.

The amount of sitting time spent over the 16 hour time period people are awake each day has dramatically increased over the last 10 years. This is because of the increased use of computers along with electronic communications and motorized transportation. This along with the increasing sedentary nature of many forms of work and the automation of daily chores and tasks means we hardly have to lift a finger all day long.

The correlation between the rising tide of obesity and our increasingly inactive world is a topic of great concern as two thirds of the world's population is now overweight. We may think we are active enough but we are usually only doing the various activities of daily living such as routine chores, self care and light recreation.

Combine this to a global shift in diet towards an increased intake of energy dense foods that are high in fat and sugars but low in vitamins, mineral and other micronutrients. This helps explain the increasing rate of 'preventable' lifestyle disease that kills 2600 every single day in the US alone. These lifestyle diseases include the 'big three' heart disease, cancer and diabetes and at least 50 others.

So, if you spend long periods of time sitting you can add that to the list of behaviors that significantly increases your risk of major disease. The reason for this is that prolonged (more than 2 hours) sitting has profoundly negative effects on the breaking down of fat in the bloodstream. Fat is normally broken down by the enzyme lipase and then absorbed into the muscles for fuel to be used for energy.

But the circulation of this fat absorbing enzyme is shut down by the inactivity of long bouts of sitting, leaving fat in the blood stream to continue to circulate clogging arteries and eventually becoming stored as body fat. It is easy to see why people who spend long periods seated have two the three times the rates of obesity and major disease.

What to do - Firstly a proper exercise program made up of mostly strength training exercise needs to be performed 2-3 times each week. It does not need to take a long time but it does need to be done right. Seek the help of a fitness professional in setting this program up so you will receive maximum benefits for the time spent.

Instead of remaining seated for hours, get up and stand up even if it is just beside your desk or chair for a few minutes every half hour or so. You can do some simple exercises such as squatting down and up holding on to the desk for support if necessary. Just the act of standing upright engages muscles and stimulates the action of lipase to breakdown fat in the bloodstream getting your fat burning mechanism firing again.

If you spend a large part of your day sedentary which is defined as the absence of whole body movement such as when sitting you will need to take action and get moving as much as possible throughout the rest of your day. This will help you avoid the risk factors to your health that are on a par with the risk factors of smoking.

While a structured strength training program is important for improved strength, stamina, metabolism, circulation, and bone density, regular bouts of activity are necessary throughout the day as well. This will help break up sustained sedentary periods so you can remain healthy and well.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: Do you want to discover the secret to rejuvenating your body and improving the quality of your life? Download my free ebook "Ive Found the Fountain of Youth- Let Me Show You Too!" here: Physical Wellness For Free Fitness Report here Fitness Weight Loss Carolyn Hansen is a certified fitness expert and fitness center owner who coaches clients to look and feel younger.