Yet another reason to push for stand-up desks: A recent study by Australia’s Sax Institute says sitting down for several hours a day could bring you to an early grave, even if you already exercise.
The study followed more than 200,000 Australian adults aged 45 and older from 2006 to 2010.
It found that those who reported sitting for at least 11 hours a day had a 40% higher risk of dying within the next three years than people who sat for less than four hours a day. It’s part of the Sax Institute’s ongoing 45 and Up study, the largest study on healthy aging ever undertaken in the Southern Hemisphere.
While exercise has numerous health benefits, it doesn’t necessarily take away this risk. As reported in The Atlantic, “while the death risk was much lower for anyone who exercised five hours a week or more, it still rose as these active people sat longer.” Long work hours aren’t the only cause of our sitting styles. According to The Atlantic, it’s estimated that the average adults spends 90% of his leisure time sitting. “People tend to think they’re okay as long as they get their ‘dose’ of working out each day,” Mark Tremblay, obesity and activity researcher at Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, told Reuters Health.
However, he says, “Getting your 30 minutes of physical activity five times a week is not insurance against chronic disease.” So what can we do to get on our feet more? For work, a stand-up desk might help — or even a treadmill desk, if you’re feeling more high-tech.
But we can’t forget the lifestyle factor to consider outside of work — especially if we are spending most of our free time sitting. “Try to find a healthy balance between sitting, standing and walking or other physical activities,” Hidde van deer Ploeg, the study’s lead author, told Reuters Health. 
Via: medicalbillingandcoding.org
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