Sit and die young...

Need a reason to get up and away from the TV, desk or computer? 

Consider this:
People who sit for 11 or more hours a day are 40% more likely to die over the following three years—even if they are physically active otherwise.

An Australian research team, writing in the Archives of Internal Medicine, came to that conclusion after analyzing data from that country’s 45 and Up Study, an ongoing investigation into healthy aging. The information on health status, habits and other factors came from more than 222,000 people.

The researchers found a sharp increase in mortality risk after 11 hours of total daily sitting, but say that spending even 8 to 11 hours in a seat raised a person’s risk of dying by 15% compared with people who sit fewer than four hours a day.

Not only do many people sit down all day at work, but the researchers note that the average adult spends 90% of his or her leisure time seated.

According to a recent survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control, 40% of all Americans don’t exercise at all, while another 31% don’t get the recommended 30 minutes a day, five days a week of moderate exercise.