For most of us, growing up we learned how deadly cigarettes can be and how it can lead to all kinds of health problems-cardio /pulmonary disease, cancer etc. In the 60’s and 70’s it was still “cool to smoke. Now we know how it can impact our lives, the information is out there and the pressure to not do it is more than to do it.
Now sitting is the new cigarette. More and more jobs require sitting for most of the day. This is literally killing us. By sitting all day our metabolism is tanking, we are burning less calories and eating the same or more. Simple math, eat the same and burn less, you gain weight!. In some cases because you are sitting you can eat at the same time- what a luxury!
It doesn’t happen all at once, you gain a little, you don’t notice it much, you gain a little more you start noticing. A lot of the time, nothing gets done about it until we hit that 20 sometimes 30 lb gain mark. By that time the game is on. What do you do to over come it? If you don’t change something 20 turns to 30, 30 turns into 40 etc. The bigger we get the bigger our food requirement is to maintain our body. Now we are on our way to obesity and all the health risks and complications that go along with it.
Check this out
Sitting is the new smoking
Sitting is Shortening Your Life
As they say “sitting is the new cancer/cigarette etc” is trending and trending in the wrong direction!. Being a trainer for over 30 years and doing it in a wide variety of areas the lack of exercise and the amount of sitting is an incredible problem. Desk jobs, in home jobs, commuting or sitting in cars, big screen tvs, mobile devices/internet, is literally killing us. All of this leads to deconditioning, decreased metabolism, resulting in big increases in weight.
This inactivity has the obvious effect of increased weight, sometimes to the obese level (look up when you get a chance how easy it is to be in the obese category).
There are so many factors that are not so obvious-poor self esteem, increased medical bills, decreased performance/motivation, orthopedic problems -the list goes on and on. This has a broader stroke than most anything we have ever seen in our lifetime!
So what do you do, or what can you do?
- Look in the mirror- if you don’t like what you see, do something about it!
- Make it a priority-no one else will-no one!
- Seek help, friends, family, professional training, medical advice etc.
- Start slow, start making easy simple changes-make yourself more active in your daily routine- stand more, walk more, less tv, more exercise.
- Portion control
- Don’t give in and give up
- Figure out how to take hourly breaks or how to move around your work space at work-don’t sit the entire day!
- Hire a trainer, online or in person-create accountability
For More information go vitalarmour.com