We sit all the time. We sit while watching television, conversing with friends, and eating with family. However, have you ever thought about how irrational and potentially life-threatening this seemingly innocent act is? Just the mere action of seating one's bottom on a surface is hurting your health.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, a sedentary lifestyle is closely linked to obesity, heart disease, high cholesterol, stroke, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and some cancers. A study showed that one-third of U.S. adults sit for nine or more hours. That’s almost 40% of the day! 

According to the University of California San Diego Health, our bodies have telomeres. Telomeres are tiny caps at the end of DNA strands. They protect chromosomes from deterioration and they get shorter with age. An unhealthy lifestyle, speeds up the shortening.  If you’re spending too much time sitting and not engaging in aerobic activities, you are contributing to this abbreviation of your telomeres. 

You may be asking yourself, how can I be more active at home? It’s easy; turn off the television, get up, and go outside. Consider gardening.  It is not only a fun activity, but it gets you moving. Walk around the block, do yoga, buy a punching bag, walk a pet, eat while standing, play frisbee, throw a ball around, do jumping jacks or any engaging activity that gets you out of a chair.

But I'm at work! What will I do? No problem. According to medlineplus.org, you should get up from your chair and move around for at least an hour over the course of the day. Stand when talking on the phone, take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk during your break, talk face-to-face instead of sending emails, and have standing meetings instead of sitting in a conference room.

Now that you understand how dangerous sitting is, it is up for you to decide. Will you continue on the path to a slow, painful death. Or will you get up and start moving, helping your future self. I know exercising is not the most fun, but your body and mind will thank you in the future.