Sitting is the New Smoking

 

Dr. James Levine, a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist, coined the phrase “sitting is the new smoking.” Levine has studied the adverse effects on our increasingly sedentary lifestyles for years and says, “Sitting is more dangerous than smoking, kills more peole than HIV and is more treacherous than parachuting. We are sitting ourselves to death.”

Many Americans are spending more time seated than ever and researchers say it’s wreaking havoc on our bodies. People go from the driver’s seat to the office chair and then to the couch at home. Researchers continue to find evidence that prolonged sitting increases the risk of developing serveral serious illnesses like various types of cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Studies have shown the effects of long-term sitting are not reversible through exercise or other good habits. Sitting, like smoking, is cleary bad for our health and the only way to minimize the risk is to limit the time we spend sitting every day.

Studies show sitting more than six hours a day puts you on a potentially deadly track, even if you exercise. Many Americans sit about nine hours a day on average. When you sit, especially for long periods of time, your body tends to shut down, which can lead to an early death. So please don’t forget that sitting is the new smoking.

I have a watch that vibrates every hour to let me know it is time to stand up and to walk around for at least a minute.

Fisher Hill has an English language development book called Health. It is a good book for teens and adults who are learning English. The book has 12 easy to read stories about healthy lifestyle. It also has activity pages to go along with the stories.

Visit our website at www.Fisher-Hill.com to learn more about our English language development book about health.