Combat "Lethal Sitting" With These Tips

We all know that sitting at a desk all day is not exactly the best thing for our bodies, but a recent New York Times Magazine article posits that not only is it bad, it could be lethal.

James Levine, a researcher at the Mayo Clinic, has been studying the effects of sitting and says that it can lead to earlier death — up to 20 percent, according to his and others' research.

Why is being sedentary so bad? As soon as we sit, Levine says, our muscle activity, insulin effectiveness, and good (HDL) cholesterol levels fall, and our calorie-burning rate drops to a third of what it is when we walk. All of this also increases our risk for developing Type 2 diabetes and becoming obese. Sitting is so bad for you, Levine says, that an otherwise active lifestyle can't combat the negative effects of sitting at the office for nine hours a day.

But since we can't all have a job that keeps us moving and in shape, the researcher suggests that we do little things — "non-exercise activities" — to combat the effects of excessive sitting when we can.