Sitting may be leading to your slow death

We sit while we’re eating, we sit while we’re in class and we sit behind a desk while we’re studying. Sitting is something that we do a lot every day without even thinking about it. As students, since we spend so much time on our posteriors, it’s a good idea to  consider taking the time to stand up once in awhile.

If most people spent less than three hours a day sitting, it would add two years to the average life expectancy in America, according to USA Today. This is because sitting is a passive exercise where you are not using as much energy as when you stand on your feet.  This makes it easier to gain weight, and makes you more prone to the health issues that come with gaining weight.

“Sitting is a dangerous risk factor for early death, on par with smoking and being obese,” says Peter Katzmarzyk, a researcher at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

Some experts recommend getting a standing desk to keep you on your feet. However, these tend to be expensive, so you should simply use your fine judgement and notice when you are sitting for prolonged amounts of time. Take the time to stand on a bus, pace while studying or take a walk to meet someone instead of sending them a message. As students, we can’t always control the amount of time we have to sit, but by compensating inactive sitting time with active activities, we can do our bodies some good.