A study conducted by the American Cancer Society found that sitting for hours at a time could shave years off of your life.
Researchers followed about 123,000 people over the course 14 years. During the course of the study, researchers found that women who sit for greater than six hours per day were 40 percent more likely to die. Men were 20 percent more likely to die.
A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that people who have jobs that require a lot of sitting have double the risk of developing a certain type of colon cancer. In fact, according to recent research studies, sitting for several hours at a time is just as bad as smoking.
The most disheartening finding of these studies is that exercise does not counter the effects of sitting for long periods of time. Once the damage is done, it cannot be undone with exercise.
A number of companies have integrated new and innovative ways to work without having to sit. They have developed treadmill desks, in which workers can walk slowly on a treadmill while working on their computers. At the Georgia Poison Center, adjustable desks were installed so that employees could stand whenever they choose. They have also installed treadmill desks.
Source: cnn.com
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