Sitting for prolonged periods of time can increase the risk of weight gain.
This might sound obvious, but I now have a new desk at my work. Thankfully, weight gain is not an issue which concerns me (just now). However, the reduction in walking about as much definitely means there will be a potentially big reduction in energy expenditure.
The difference between sitting about and moving about could be as much 300-800 calories a day, more than enough to create a calorie surplus/deficit daily, depending on which you do. Since the average worker does 35-40 hours in a week, the number of calories that you burn during your working day is no dismissible variable in staying fit, or within a reasonable weight range.
If you do sit around most of the day, take the responsibility to incorporate movement into your day. Before, during or after, they all count. If you can implement breaks and movement every hour(at the most) from sitting about, the benefits are massive.
– Energy expenditure benefits
– Postural benefits (give your spine a break from slouching in front of a computer.
– Mental clarity (give your brain a rest, walk to the water machine and rehydrate)
Even If you get up in the morning and work out for an hour, or go to the gym after your shift, you would think that you have earned the right to sit about for the rest of the day?
Not true, I can’t agree.
Structured exercise you do only accounts for a small percentage of the calories you burn during the day. That’s why it’s important to keep moving even when you’re not working out. Daily regular movement is essential as a lifestyle factor and therefore an overall health factor.
Maybe start thinking about what you can do to incorporate such small lifestyle changes into your day.
