Five Ways Sitting Down Can Kill You

'Studies show that too many hours of sitting down each day can lead to an early death.

I’ve been sitting too much. Here’s the break down. There were the two intensive years of writing my last book, Light of the Andes. Before that, there was a super intensive six months working on Beating the Flu. I wrote in the middle of the night and on weekends, and got little sleep. It seemed that my life was at my desk in front of a computer.

Over the last five years, I wrote two hours each day five days a week. On weekends, I wrote at least 10 hours a day. I spent another two hours every day sitting answering emails and recording notes in patient charts. On average, that’s at least six hours every day sitting still. When I factored in driving, sitting on airplanes and waiting for flights in airports, and watching the occasional movie, sitting time could reach a whopping eight hours a day.' 

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Sitting Kills, Moving Heals

'If you’re like most people, myself included, you probably spend a large portion of each day in a seated position. It’s hard to avoid these days, as computer work predominates, and most also spend many hours each week driving to and from work.

Mounting research now suggests that sitting in and of itself is an independent risk factor for poor health and premature death—even if you exercise regularly.

Dr. Joan Vernikos, former director of NASA’s Life Sciences Division and author of Sitting Kills, Moving Heals, presents a simple yet powerful scientific explanation for why sitting has such a dramatic impact on your health, and how you can simply and easily counteract the ill effects of sitting.'

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