Friday, May 10, 2013

Is sitting at work killing you?

I thought this was a very interesting article worth sharing.  It's based on research by a former NASA director of Life Sciences, Dr. Joan Vernikos, whose job it was to keep astronaut's health from deteriorating due to prolonged time spent in space. And her findings are quite astounding, in that they affect nearly every one of us that spends much of their day sitting at a desk! 

It turns out one of the most unhealthy things we can do is sit for a prolonged period of time (a desk job). 

"What she discovered was nothing short of astounding. “Standing was more effective than walking,” she says. And, it wasn’t how long you were standing, but how many times you stood up that made the difference. In conclusion, she discovered that it is the change in posture that is the most powerful, in terms of having a beneficial impact on your health.
In a nutshell, your body needs perpetual motion to function optimally. As Dr. Vernikos states, the good news is that there are virtually unlimited opportunities for movement throughout the day"

This is not the first time I've read an article on this topic, but that doesn't make it any less eye-opening.  To think that one can eat healthy and exercise regularly, and yet still may not be able to avoid the unfortunate effects of the modern day unhealthy lifestyle; especially the "desk-jockeys" of today's world.   Being one of those who work at a computer for much of the day, I take this research quite seriously!  For some time now I have been trying to limit my sitting by standing at my desk when possible, and now with this latest research I think I will focus more on constant movement; changing positions frequently as well as standing up and taking short walks.

Being healthy is a lifestyle choice, so make it wisely! 
  • Choose to eat local sustainably raised/grown foods.  
  • Choose organic non-GMO.  
  • Educate yourself on health and nutrition, and look beyond the mainstream news for research not funded by pharmaceutical companies.  
  • Get plenty of sun (Vitamin D) and go barefoot (outside) when possible.  
  • And above all KEEP MOVING!

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