A new study from American Cancer Society (ACS) reveals that the more you sit, the shorter your life. Although exercising and being at a healthy weight helps increase the amount of years you live, excessive sitting time decreases your life span regardless of your physical activity level. The bottom line is: even if you exercise daily, it's still important not to spend too much time sitting throughout your day! The ACS study focused on 123,216 men and women with no history of disease over a span of 14 years. For active adults, the chance of death is reduced, but still notable. The study found that women who spent six hours a day sitting had a 37 percent increased risk of dying, versus those who spent less than three hours a day sitting. For men, the study found that those who spent six hours a day sitting had a 17 percent increased risk of dying, versus those who spent less than three hours a day sitting. This is one of few studies examining sitting time as a contributing factor to long term health. The study's lead author noted that, "the more time you spend sitting, the less total energy expended and you can have consequences such as weight gain and increased obesity." It is important to engage muscles in order to stimulate or suppress hormones which affect metabolism, hunger cravings, cholesterol and heart disease risk factors. Here are some ways to increase physical activity in the workplace:

• Stand up when you're talking on the telephone,
• Go for walks during your lunch break,
• Deliver memos in person whenever possible,
• Take to the stairs -- two at a time if you need a harder workout,
• Use a pedometer to track how many steps you walk and set goals in order to increase your daily totals,
Sit on an exercise ball instead of your chair in order to strengthen your core as you sit at your desk and most importantly of all
• Remember, walks to the vending machine don't count!

Here are some ways to increase physical activity during down-time at home:

• Play an active video game with friends and family
• Enjoy a relaxing evening walk,
• Ride a stationary bike or walk on a treadmill while watching TV or reading,
• Walk or jog in place during commercials and when watching TV, or
• Go for a swim instead of sunbathing.

Visit Live Healthy Lorain County for more healthy lifestyle information, or the original article from the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health.

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