Health experts have identified a common habit that may be more detrimental to your well-being than smoking, and it’s something many of us engage in to varying extents.
Navigating health advice can be tricky—you’re told to do this or that, but warned against other actions. However, some habits are nearly unavoidable, particularly for those working office jobs. Fortunately, there are strategies to mitigate the risks.
Stephen Williams, a cardiologist at NYU Langone, mentioned to The New York Post that some patients claim to have an ‘active lifestyle’ simply because they spend the day on their feet.
Yet, Williams remains ‘[un]impressed’. Why is that?
Many individuals equate standing at a desk with being physically active, a misconception that doesn’t hold up.
Standing for prolonged periods, while marginally better than sitting, is still considered part of a ‘sedentary lifestyle’.
Williams emphasized: “A sedentary lifestyle is now seen as the ‘new smoking lifestyle’ – it is that bad.”
But what are the real implications?
Sitting for extended periods each day without movement increases the likelihood of weight gain. Healthline notes that ‘research shows that people with obesity sit for an average of two hours longer each day than people with a normal weight’.
Though some studies suggest excessive sitting may be linked to a higher risk of early death, one study found no direct correlation between sitting time and overall mortality.
According to Healthline: “Sedentary behavior is consistently linked to more than 30 chronic diseases and conditions, including a 112 percent increase in your risk of type 2 diabetes and a 147 percent increase in heart disease risk.”
“Studies have shown that walking fewer than 1,500 steps per day, or sitting for long periods without reducing calorie intake, can cause a major increase in insulin resistance, which is a key driver of type 2 diabetes.”
Fortunately, there are methods to enhance your health even if sitting is an unavoidable part of your daily routine.
“If you have seen your physician and you are cleared to be active, it is essential to have daily physical activity,” Williams advises.
He suggests that even a simple ‘stroll’ can be ‘beneficial’.
Healthline further notes: “New research has found that 22 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise can significantly reduce mortality risk in those 50 and over.”
Williams offers another approach to gauging exercise intensity: ‘monitor your heart rate’ during physical activity to ensure it falls ‘within 50-70 percent of your maximum heart rate’.
“Which is calculated by subtracting your age from 220,” he explained.