Death by Desk Job: How to Fight It [INFOGRAPHIC]
Your desk job can kill you. At the very least, it will likely make you fatter, sicker and more stressed out than a job that doesn't require sitting down and hunching over a keyboard for a third of the day.
Studies have shown that the amount of time American's spend sitting increased by 8% between 1980 and 2000, while obesity rates doubled. Other factors played roles in fostering flab, but consider these numbers — nearly 300 million Americans don't get the minimum level of exercise required for good health.
Americans burn about 50,000 fewer calories per year than they did 50 years ago, and the portion of jobs that require physical activity has declined by about 30% since 1960.
So how can you fight your desk job's slow but steady stranglehold on your health and maybe live a few years longer?
The American Heart Association recommends taking at least 10,000 steps per day, so take the stairs instead of that tempting elevator. Ten minutes of climbing stairs each day will burn 150 calories for a 150-pound person.
And there are actually several exercises you can do at the very desk that's trying squelch your life force. Simple motions such as picking up your chair, doing pushups against your desk and leg squats can inject a bit of activity back into your day.
The infographic below, from the sports medicine company KT Tape, lays out some of the dangers of a sedentary work life and what you can do defeat desk-bound death.
Have you found ways to get a bit of exercise at work? Share them with us in the comments.
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6 Comments to Death by Desk Job: How to Fight It [INFOGRAPHIC]
by mappingtg
On May 17, 2012 at 6:22 pm
isn't that all the silicon valley jobs then?
by Dustin Alin
On May 17, 2012 at 11:51 pm
Rawr
by lizonomics
On May 17, 2012 at 9:08 pm
Pretty awesome infographic. Throw up an "R" in front of the w in "foward" and you're good to go. :)
by Jen Holmes
On May 18, 2012 at 12:19 am
Know what else is killing us? Bad bosses. See why in this infographic from Keas: http://keas.com/blog/bad-boss/
by Narayan Gopal
On May 18, 2012 at 12:35 am
great infographic…thanks mash
by kolargol
On May 18, 2012 at 12:55 am
Very good little tips, thanks a lot, it's a must-see for people like me.