I’m slowly dying as I write this!

No matter what you think of the technological revolution, one thing is for certain … it has us sitting more than ever before. One statistic I read has that 85% of all jobs are “sedentary” or chair based. I can tell you this from my experience, 12 years ago I rarely sat as a part of my work. I was a personal trainer … I was on the floor with clients or helping the front desk staff do what had to be done. The only time I looked at a computer was to check email … as I stood there waiting for the next client. Back then I worked out hard, and even had a herniated disc from doing stupid stuff years ago, but never back pain.

Now I own a company and have many administrative tasks that require me to sit … and sit … AND sit! I have a Macbook to write these blogs, articles, record videos, and be a king of social media. But maybe … just maybe there is a consequence to all this. I still workout, but seem to have more neck and back pain, especially after a heavy day of writing.

I had read the book, Sitting On The Job, a few years back, but maybe I forgot some of the lessons learned. So for all of you who need to hear it or hear it again, there was an article on MSNBC, in the health section, entitled You Sitting Down? It’ll Kill You. For those of you who don’t have time to read the article, because you need to “sit there” and move onto the next project, the quick synopsis is that those who sit the most are more likely to be fatter, have a heart attack or even die.

Elin Ekblom-Bak of the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences said,

After four hours of sitting, the body starts to send harmful signals.

She goes on to further explain how the body’s genes that regulate blood sugar and fat start to shut down.

For all of you who are sitting regularly, you should read the article and see the possible consequences that might befall you. I might also suggest that while you read the article, you march in place … ok, maybe a bit much but it couldn’t hurt … you’ll look silly, but not hurt!

Weigh in on what you think. Leave a comment to let me know how much time each day you sit and whether you notice anything negative from it.

2 Comments

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  By ejose, January 26, 2010 @ 4:35 pm

  With only a few interruptions, I’ve been sitting for the past 10 hours. I think I need a standing desk – like this sitting/standing, hydraulic, morphing desk from biomorph: http://www.biomorphdesk.com/

  I’ve been trying to convince my wife I need one. I’ll use your blog post as ammo!

• 

  By Cliff Long, January 27, 2010 @ 9:16 am

  I like that! Another option, for those that like move while you work, is the Treadmill desk – http://www.treadmill-desk.com/

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