Effects of being a couch potato
There was a time when early man wasn't such a couch potato. He hunted, pillaged, and overall lived a more active lifestyle. It wasn't about exercise in that case, moving was a simple act of survival.
Fast-forward to the present day, and we've become bound to our desks and sofas. Unfortunately, we haven't evolved fast enough to adapt to this sedentary lifestyle. Sitting all the time, whether at work or watching TV, can cause great damage to our health.
See below for some quick facts on the matter:
On watching TV, and sinking into your desk job:
- People with sitting jobs have twice the rate of cardiovascular disease as people with standing jobs
- Those who sit three hours or more per day watching TV are 64 percent more likely to die from heart disease.
- Of those who sit in front of a TV three hours per day, those who exercise are just as fat as those who don't.
- Each extra hour of watching TV = 11 percent higher risk of death
- The recommended 30 minutes of daily exercise is not enough to counteract these effects. You must interrupt sitting as much as possible.
As soon as you sit:
- Electrical signals to the legs stop.
- Calorie burning drops to 1 per minute.
- Enzymes that help burn fat drop 90 percent.
After two hours seated:
- Good cholesterol drops 20 percent.
After 24 hours:
- Insulin effectiveness drops 24 percent and risk of diabetes rises.
Source: http://www.medicalbillingandcoding.org/
Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
