Dear Ladies, Perhaps it is time to get off the computer and get moving...

[Wildiris]

I read this in the most recent This Week:

 

 

"The more time you spend sitting on your duff every day, the shorter your life span is likely to be, a new study says." More time means in excess of six hours a day--watching TV, driving in a car, reading, homeschooling, day dreaming, etc.

 

 

Read more here at the NYT

 

 

Even more on NPR's Science Friday

 

Edited August 8, 2010 by Wildiris

[FO4UR]

ruh, roh...

 

 

Though...whoever thinks homeschooling is sitting on ones duff has never been acquainted with the fly on my wall....or my 3 darling children!:001_huh::tongue_smilie:

[Wildiris]

3blessings~ It would help if you read the articles rather than just responding with a quick quip. Bully for you for being so active, but maybe some close to you may not have that luxury, a husband perhaps?

[hornblower]

Gosh - interesting that the NYT article doesn't even tackle the computer. Most office jobs involve sitting all day with brief strolls to the coffee machine, a colleague's office for a chin wag, or to the bathroom. Then they come home, and relax a bit by surfing the web, checking personal mail etc.

 

Hmmmm.

 

And what about students? Kids in school sit for really long times. Homeschool kids maybe less but still - a lot of sitting.

 

It's very interesting how even exercising & being fit does not counterweigh the effects of sitting a lot.

[hornblower]

Just realized I heard something about this recently on the CBC. Must be some new research making rounds. It popped up on my writing loop too as one of the interviewees was an author who had a keyboard rigged to her treadmill so she would write while strolling.

 

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/06/10/sitting-health-physiology.html

 

Again, what I find interesting is that being 'fit' or going to the gym or exercising regularly is not enough to offset the damage done by sitting a lot.

[ElizabethB]

Interesting, thanks!

[iona]

it is kind of unnerving. dh has a job that keeps him glued to his screens...he can't get up unless it is one of the scheduled 8 minute breaks or someone happens to walk by and cover for him for a few minutes. i wonder if there are some chair exercises he could do..hmmm stupid pride might kick in though

 

it makes me think about my kids and myself as well....i tend to think if i put in 45 working out i can lounge around as much as possible. that isn't thinking about muscle usage just calories. maybe every 50 minutes of sedentary activity we can do 10 minutes 0f calistenics or clean the bathrooms...hmm.

thank you for sharing

and i really should get off the computer!

[Miss Marple]

I also read recently that standing burns 40% more calories than sitting. So maybe I can put the computer on the kitchen bar and do my surfing while standing - I'll burn more calories and live longer!

[Daisy]

That is an interesting article and something I need to take to heart. I do a lot of sitting during our homeschooling hours and need to be more proactive about moving around. That once a day work-out is obviously not cutting it.

 

My husband on the other hand NEVER stops moving. He teaches 25+ first graders all day and then comes home and works in his workshop, in the yard, etc.

[Night Elf]

Well, I read both links you had and all I have are quick quips too. :tongue_smilie:

 

I really don't see this as new information, however. We've been hearing about moving lots more for a long time. We've heard that sitting in front of a screen for prolonged periods of time is bad. We've heard that people who sit for prolonged periods of time in their office should get up and walk around at least once an hour if not more. We've heard that screen time should be less than 2 hours a day and being active as much as possible all day is healthier and even helps us sleep better at night. At least, I've heard all these things for many years.

 

As for one of my quick quips, perhaps we should watch tv marching in place and only sit down during commercials, instead of sitting for the show and getting up during commercials. (This is in response to his idea that we should get up and move during commercials.)