This newsletter is to warn you about the single most dangerous thing you do each and every single day of your life and what you can to do change it this year. In fact, I bet you’re doing it right now. Can you guess what it is?… I think the answer will surprise you:
Sitting!!!
Research recently published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise revealed a startling discovery. The researchers looked at 17,000 people over a period of 13 years and found that those people that sit for most of the day are 54% more likely to suffer a heart attack.
Even if you spend most of the day seated, you will be at higher risk of heart attack, even if you eat well and exercise! Even if your ‘health nut and gym freak’ colleague is likely to fall victim to these latest findings if he or she doesn’t get out of that chair!
Although these findings have been released, nobody knows why this happens. However, there were some theories that could explain why this happens:
Sitting for too long leads to poor posture. Poor posture can lead to spinal misalignments. Aside from pain, these misalignments can put pressure on the nervous system, the vital communication system between the brain and the body. If this communication system isn’t working at 100%, then you can’t be 100% healthy. This is why we always recommend regular adjustments with the Chiropractor to remove those spinal misalignments…you may not feel in pain but it doesn’t mean they aren’t there!
Sitting too much leads to an accumulation of fat within your blood stream. A sedentary lifestyle has been shown to lower the levels of the enzyme which breaks down fat within your bloodstream.
Sitting actually makes you fat. You burn 60 calories an hour more with standing, as compared to sitting. Overweight people tend to have more cardiovascular disease…which can lead to some fatal heart problems.
Does this mean that there’s no point to eating well and exercise? Of course not. The benefits of living well are firmly established. What it does mean is that… you need to move more!
Step 1: Get up often. Ideally, you need to get up every 20 minutes and move around. I realise this may not be practical for everybody, but do your best. Once an hour should be considered a minimum. It doesn’t have to be a long break, just walk to the water cooler and back.
Step 2: Spread the tasks that take you away from your desk throughout the day, rather than doing them all at once. Does this make you less efficient? Possibly. But how efficient are you if you have spinal issues or cardiovascular disease?
Step 3: Stand up when you’re on the phone. I often hear people say they are too busy to leave their desk. Why not stand when you answer the phone? You’ll get yourself up regularly and look like a real go-getter!
There you have it. 3 simple steps that lessen your risk of a heart disease. Now…make this your New Years resolution and get up out of the chair and MOVE!
