It is well-established that regular exercise and a nutritious diet are critical to living healthy, living long, and living strong. But did you know that excessive sedentary behaviour puts you at greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease and metabolic conditions such as diabetes?
What is sedentary behaviour?
Sedentary behaviour is activity that is only marginally above resting (Medibank 2009); put simply, this type of activity involves lots of sitting! The important difference that has been made in recent research is that “too much sitting is distinct from too little exercise” (Owen et al. 2010).
How does sedentary behaviour affect my health?
How can I decrease my sedentary behaviour?
The research suggests that it’s not just about decreasing the total time that you spend sitting. Interestingly, you can gain health benefits just by breaking up your seated schedule with regular movement breaks. At Inspire Fitness, we suggest taking a break as often as possible throughout your working day. Every 1-2 hours, take a minute to stand up, loosen up with some useful stretches, grab a glass of water, and get some fresh air! These regular breaks are key to keeping your energy levels up, maintaining your capacity to concentrate, and most importantly, decreasing the risks to your health from engaging in excessive and prolonged sedentary behaviour.