Sitting Disease - Are you spending too much time on your Butt?
Here are 8 Simple Tips to Shed 700 Calories
Womens Health Magazine By: Selene Yeager
You might not want to take the following stat sitting down: According to a poll of nearly 6,300 people by the Institute for Medicine and Public Health, it's likely that you spend a stunning 56 hours a week planted like a geranium—staring at your computer screen, working the steering wheel, or collapsed in a heap in front of your high-def TV. And it turns out women may be more sedentary than men, since they tend to play fewer sports and hold less active jobs.
Get Your Move On
Shake things up throughout the day by interrupting your sedentary stints as often as possible. "Stand up every half hour," says Neville Owen, Ph.D., of the University of Queensland. "If you have to sit for longer than that, take more extended and active breaks and move around for a few minutes before sitting back down."
Not sure how much of a difference these mini moves will make? Check out the chart below. Swapping a more active approach for just a few of your daily activities can help stave off the one-to two-pound weight gain most women accumulate every year—and it can keep your metabolism buzzing the way nature intended it to.
Total calories from 8 simple activities below:
697 vs. 1,448*
Saving of over 751 calories
Instead of This:
Sitting at your desk
83 Calories burned per hour
Do This:
Stand at your desk
115 Calories burned per hour
Instead of This:
Riding the elevator
128
Do This:
Take the stairs
509
Instead of This:
Shopping online
96
Do This:
Shop at the mall
(walking briskly and carrying packages)
147
Instead of This:
Calling for takeout
96
Do This:
Cook at home
128
Instead of This:
Talking on the phone seated
102
Do This:
Pace while chatting
147
Instead of This:
E-mailing a coworker
96
Do This:
Walk to their office
128
Instead of This:
Watching TV
64
Do This:
Make out
96
Instead of This:
Playing a seated video game
32
Do This:
Play Wii
178
