leave your desk during the day

In the spirit of full disclosure, I am writing this article because I need to heed my own advice. I need to pay attention to the warnings I am about to offer because I am guilty of sitting at my computer for hours on end without a break. I have a tendency to get into a “zone” while I am working on my latest creation (like this article) and not remembering to get up and move at least once an hour. The research is very clear, however: sitting at our desks without taking periodic breaks even if only to stand for a few minutes will most probably cut our lives short. Yikes! Related: 10 Reasons To Leave Your Desk At Lunch Experts have known since the mid-1980’s that there is a correlation between sedentary behavior like television viewing and weight status in children and adolescents. More recent studies, however, point to the fact that sedentary behaviors in adults also negatively influence our health. In case you are wondering, sedentary behaviors are characterized by minimal movement and very low level of energy expenditure for hours at a time. In an article entitled, “Sedentary Behaviors, Weight, and Health and Disease Risks,” sedentary behaviors are being associated with higher morbidity rates in adults. (Raynor, et al.) More specifically, adults who sit most of the time are at a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, weight gain and obesity. In short, sitting too much for too long without giving your body a movement or stretch break could very well contribute to your early death. Many of us find ourselves making our living by sitting in front of a computer most of our days and then sitting in front of the television to relax most of our evenings and weekends. Some of us are savvy enough to get out and exercise on a regular basis, but studies have shown that just getting exercise, even if it is regular exercise of moderate intensity a few times a week doesn’t counterbalance the need to move away from your desk periodically throughout the regular work day.