Sedentary Living ... the smoking gun of lost productivity

As many as 50 million Americans are leading physically inactive lives. Are you one of them? Our sedentary lifestyle is the single biggest health crisis today. Top researchers are proving that as little as 30 minutes a day of physical activity––regardless of body weight––can slash mortality rates by up to 50%. So how do we get off the couch?

 

The Cost

The journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise found the following statistics and results;

  • 1 in 3 Americans is obese. Between 1980 and 2000, exercise rates stayed the same, sitting time increased 8% and obesity doubled. Your body goes into meltdown the moment you sit down.
  • The average person now spends 9.3 hours per day sitting.
  • Sitting 6+ hours per day makes you up to 40% likelier to die within 15 years than someone who sits less than 3 ... however, studies also show that simple, periodic interuption of sitting time can prevent the damages of extended sitting.

As soon as you sit, the following happens;

  • Electrical activity and circulation in the leg muscles shuts off.
  • Calorie burning drops.
  • Enzymes that help break down fat drop 90%.
  • After 2 hours good cholesterol (HDL) drops 20%.

The Solution

Most people know that regular physical activity offers the greatest protection against disease and aging. But it’s still not enough to get people moving because they harbor powerful beliefs that exercise is painful, boring, expensive or time consuming.

This eye-opening 29 Days program will:

  • Debunk deeply held negative beliefs about exercise and replace them with knowledge about the importance of staying active for wellness, and the simple ways fitness can become as enjoyable a habit as watching TV (really!).
  • Sift through the often confusing or contradictory information about fitness and exercise to arrive at the commonsense, research-backed facts.
  • Show participants how easy it is to incorporate physical activity into a busy day.
  • Inspire participants to take simple steps and make small changes to develop healthy new habits and regular physical activity.
  • Change your thinking. No matter how hectic your life, you'll go from thinking exercise is a bore and a chore to embracing it as one of the best times of your day.

 

“By 2015, we’re going to be spending 20% of our GDP on healthcare. As a researcher, and as a citizen, I can tell you that is the biggest number the world’s ever known. What we need now is boldness on the part of employers and health promotion practitioners. We really have to stop apologizing for suggesting changes in the workplace. If anything, we need to take the whole health promotion thing to the next level in organizations. The future depends on it.”
~ Steven G. Aldana, PhD. Professor of Lifestyle Medicine, Exercise Science, Brigham Young University