Let's start with a pre-emptive apology. We already know January is miserable enough without us adding to it. But during the winter months when it's easier to eat al-desko, here's something that made us want to jog around the block.
Apparently, British office workers spend the equivalent of five years of their lives sat at their desk without getting up.
We knew we were lazy and resistant to leaving our cosy, warm burrows, but even we didn't know it was that bad. And with news that being sedentary is slowly killing us, it may be time to take it seriously.
CBS New York recently reported: "A number of studies have shown that prolonged sitting is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer and even early death."
The research by Sanlam Private Investments shows that on average, office workers spend 55% of their working day sat down with almost 60% saying they don’t even take a lunch break and instead eat at their desk.
That doesn't mean we're active bunnies once we leave, either. Apparently, 47% do less than an hour of exercise a week and nearly half blame work for this. Almost a quarter (24%) surveyed can’t fit any exercise into their working day and say it’s too late by the time they get home to do it.
As a result, 52% are worried about their weight, only 31% are the right weight for their height, 30% say they have worrying stress levels and 53% fear for their health.
RedOrbit.com quoted Dr David Coven, a cardiologist at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center as saying: “Smoking certainly is a major cardiovascular risk factor, and sitting can be equivalent in many case. The fact of being sedentary causes factors to happen in the body that are very detrimental.”
How much time do you spend at your desk?