Sitting is Deadly, is Your Body Stuck in Idle?

Sitting can be deadly - the latest news from the medical community. The Mayo Clinic's, Dr. James Levine, states "The body's idling state is very, very unhealthy. Much like a Ferrari, the human body is meant to move." His bottom line, "Sitting is deadly." The muscles go into a flat-line status, much like the brain without activity. Can this really be such a bad thing? Apparently so according to the doctor.

How do we overcome this latest entry into the "What's not healthy category?" The good doctor suggests pacing back and forth while talking on the telephone, standing and bending while watching television or marching in place. He even goes so far as to suggest, "business meetings on the jog!" Give me a break!

I agree that sitting too much is not good, then again, too much of anything is not a good thing. Isn't that what we've been told all of our lives? Excess does not lead to success.

I also think that too little sitting is a bad thing. Sometimes we are on the run so much that we need to just stop-sit-and-be-still. Without those temporary breaks during the day, how can we ever get the rest and momentum required to recharge enough to climb those steep hills one encounters in every day?

This is really nothing new in the way of medical news. For years, researchers and exercise professionals have been proclaiming the health benefits of regular cardiovascular exercise and the need to strengthen our muscles and our hearts. But, saying that "sitting is deadly", well, I believe we are now taking it to the extreme.

The scary part about the research is that even if you exercise regularly, sitting for just four hours at a stretch can have negative results. The genes regulating the amount of glucose and fat in the body start to shut down at the four-hour mark. Imagine that. It adds a whole new perspective on the 15-minute break, get up and stretch or go for a brisk walk.

Okay, here I sit - four hours later - finishing this article now. Time to go for a walk. Or a run. Maybe I should leave the scissors at home, I heard running around with scissors in your hand can be deadly, too!