By Phillip Tomlinson
Personal Trainer and Martial Arts Instructor

“On the weekends I’m a regular couch potato,” she proclaimed. 

“It’s my way to unwind after a long week sitting in front of a desk,” she continued.  “My little piece of heaven.”

Then, as if on cue, my brain erupted with that old George Michael 90’s hit “Freedom.”

“Freedom!  Freedom… I will not give you up.”

If only this were really so. ‘cause here’s the inconvenient truth:

This kind of “freedom” can land you in a whole lotta trouble.  Six feet under.

To put it into perspective, if sitting for long hours is your piece of heaven, it’s killing you.  This, according to a study by Nature. 

And if you think working out counteracts the effects of long periods of sitting, think again, because here’s the skinny:

Within five days after adopting habitual blocks of inactivity, fatty molecules, LDL cholesterol and insulin resistance significantly increase in your body. 

Yes, an open invitation to weight gain, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes.

And if you’ve been following my blog at http://bodinsync.me, you’ve read this before.  But there’s more – in the form of new info.

The danger is not just limited to sitting.  Adopting any static posture for a long time can have adverse consequences.  As it turns out, being static can affect your circulatory system slowing the delivery of blood, oxygen and vital nutrients.

By all means work out and adopt a healthy diet but if you’re glued to your desk for long blocks of time at work, and your couch for long hours – even after working out – you’ll be throwing a monkey wrench into your well-meaning efforts to craft that most healthy you.

The fix is pretty simple:

Alternate between sitting and standing once every hour because the name of the game is activity.  That could mean reaching down and touching you feet, stretching overhead, marching in place, taking a brisk walks, and so on.  According to experts, thirty minutes per day is all it takes to be effective but, beyond this, they say if you can reduce your static time to three hours a day, you will have succeeded in adding years to your life expectancy.

Now, that’s a little piece of heaven.