If you’re reading this article while sitting at your desk, stand up!
A new study published earlier this week, yielded a life-threatening warning to chronic “sitters,” saying that they could lose two years of their life.
The study as featured on USNews.com was conducted at Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
Researcher Peter Katzmarzyk suggested that simply sitting too much is risky behavior when it comes to your health. “It’s right in the same ballpark as smoking and obesity—sedentary behavior is in the same category.”
Katzmarzyk told Bloomberg.com, “It’s about the inactivity in your muscles. When you’re sitting your legs are completely inactive.” He said that just getting your 30 minutes of exercise in a day is not enough to combat these dire statistics if you choose to sit for the duration of the rest of the day.
We reported last year that studies had also indicated that standing while eating may be better for you than sitting and according to LiveStrong.com, “The simple act of standing up instead of sitting may help you burn as many as 50 more calories per hour, depending on your size.”
Coupling the data from these studies should be a clear reason (outside of the fantastic food they serve) for more people to head outside and track down their local food trucks when they get the hankering for delicious gourmet street food.
Editor’s Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.