Get Out of That Chair!

Want to hear a horrifying statistic guaranteed to make you jump right out of your chair? Those who spend the majority of their day sitting are TWO TIMES as likely to get heart disease as those who don’t.

It’s true! Google it if you don’t believe us.

Some other horrors of too much sitting include: shortening your lifespan (not kidding), undoing all the hard work you have done in your exercise routine, and increasing your chance of developing diabetes.

You probably think about sitting when you’re stuck at your office doing work - but we bet you sit a lot during the summer as well. You sit for hours on a plane, you sit on the beach, you sit on the couch in front of the TV. Even though the beach and the couch are relaxing, they still count as too much sitting.

Now here’s the good news: Research has also shown that 60 to 75 minutes per day of moderate to intense physical activity counters the effects of too much sitting.

This doesn’t exactly mean that you should sit at your desk for eight hours and then go to your SPT class and you will be all better. It’s not exactly that simple. But the movement and activity will certainly help.

Additionally, 75 minutes of moderate physical activity a day is A LOT. So instead of needing to work that into your daily schedule, we strongly recommend just trying to sit less.

Here are some tips to get yourself moving:

1 - Do 10 squats every time you stand up from your office chair or after you visit the restroom.

2 - Set a reminder on your phone to stand and stretch every hour - your Apple watch will also do this for you, so listen to it instead of just dismissing the alert. 

3 - Find an accountability buddy to share reminders or take a walk together during your lunch break. Remember when FitBit first released their Steps-Per-Day challenge and suddenly we were all trying to beat our friends’ step goals? We walked a lot then.

A thirty minute walk at a brisk pace is great for your cardiovascular health and walking outside is known to boost your mood as well.

So get out of your chair and get moving! Your body (and posture, and heart health, and mental health…) will thank you!