The car, the office, the couch, it’s a 67 billion dollar health problem. Sitting has become one the most predominant problems in the world today. Not only can it lead to bad posture, it can take years off of your life. But there’s hope, and even a simple hour a day of activity can reset the clock and fix many of the problems facing us today. Whether it’s children in school or a worker strapped to a desk, this article sets the record straight on what it’s going to take to offset our routine and bring us back into a healthy and balanced physical state.
Key Takeaways:
- Twenty-three percent of adults globally — and an alarming 80% of adolescents at school — failed to be as active as they should have been in 2015, according to a new study.
- But factoring in one hour of physical activity for each day spent sitting can offset your chances of disease, according to one of four papers that form part of the series published Wednesday in The Lancet.
- The study found that the health impacts of an eight-hour workday spent bound to a computer or in a car can be alleviated by activities as simple as cycling at speeds of more than 16 kilometers per hour (about 10 mph) or walking briskly at 5.6 kilometers per hour (about 3.5 mph) for more than 60 minutes each day.
“The study found that the health impacts of an eight-hour workday spent bound to a computer or in a car can be alleviated by activities as simple as cycling at speeds of more than 16 kilometers per hour (about 10 mph) or walking briskly at 5.6 kilometers per hour (about 3.5 mph) for more than 60 minutes each day.”