A recent study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine reviewed information from 54 countries and found that people who sit more than three hours a day have a four percent chance of early death from a whole host of health problems.
Sound scary? Don’t worry the experts at St. Elizabeth Healthcare Business Health spoke with Local 12’s Liz Bonis about the things they recommend.
In the study, it appears that, even if you go to the gym, sitting a lot throughout the day still takes years off your life. The team at St. Elizabeth says our culture just lends itself to a much more sit-around workday than we have had before.
“I think that’s our culture now, we are running from place to place meeting to meeting and there’s always a list of things to do, and other priorities that you can have in the workday,” said Sarah Faller of St. Elizabeth Business Health Services.
To keep moving, she suggests trying everything from standing at your desk to classroom workouts with your co-workers.
“Sitting all day long is really not good for you, it’s not good for your body, it’s not good for your circulation, so even if you just stand up and do some mild stretches once an hour … set your watch or your device to alarm you every hour so that you are standing up, you are moving, anything helps,” said Tina Legris, the Director of St. Elizabeth Business Health Services.
Both Tina and Sarah are part of a team that will actually go into your workplace and evaluate how employers can help workers move and feel better. Learn more about this program here.
