All sitting is not created equal?

All sitting is not created equal?

By Edorial Staff
ToYourHealth.com

A few years back, sitting was compared to smoking in terms of its negative impact on human health. Since then, we’ve run a variety of articles on how to reduce daily sitting time and ways to create an ergonomic sitting environment when you do have to sit. Now comes evidence that while sitting may be bad for your health in excess, all sitting is not created equal.

Here’s the explanation: Working at a desk may not be as bad for your health, particularly cardiovascular health and overall longevity, than sitting in front of a television during leisure time. Researchers suggest non-work sitting time, rather than at-work sitting time, may be a better determinant of health than sitting time in general.

Why? According to a study of nearly 4,000 U.S. adults, those who sit the most after hours (watching TV) are also more likely to be inactive, overweight, smoke, drink heavily, eat poorly and suffer from high blood pressure. That’s why the study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, revealed that television viewing increased heart disease and mortality risk, while occupational sitting did not. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can sit at a desk all day without moving. It does mean you should find ways to sit less and move more before and after work, regardless of your occupation. Talk to your doctor to learn more.