We are all going to die sometime. That is a scientific fact. Good gawd people - now we have to worry about sitting too much even though we do exercise.

Bah! Humbug!

Kitty - just using my strong intellect and ability to exercise logic (pun intended)...

im going to conclude the solution to the hip flexor/glutes/lower back issue is to STAND UP and WALK around your office as much as possible. Since the problem is simply the sitting position...not being in that position as often as possible, seems to be the recommended solution.

I work a desk job and getting up and moving around is an option, its just most people dont choose it. Granted, some workplaces are like slave masters on their employees so perhaps moving about isnt that probable...but an easy solution to this - drink lots of water, therefore you'll have a legit reason to get up 1) refill your cup 2) to go pee.

So we exercise as much as we used to but now we sit around more, yet live longer thus sitting around is bad for you. Got it. Someone should tell that to my dog. All he does is sit around all day and will probably live longer than most dogs in the history of the planet.

Bjs

Do you really think you add anything at all to the conversation here? You can do whatever you want to do .... worry or don't worry ..... sit or don't sit. This is useful information and most of us have the capacity to use that information wisely.

I guess I'm doomed... I'm a disabled vet who can't stand for more than 5 minutes, or walk for very long and need a wheelchair to get around sometimes (shopping, etc...). I live my life now on disability and cannot exercise - and NO, the VA will not work with me on this because I live too far away from their main hospital. So I sit here at my computer and read the news. Each time I get up to do something, clean, whatever, I'm forced to sit down within 5 minutes because of the pain. May as well see it end sooner than later!

So we exercise as much as we used to but now we sit around more, yet live longer thus sitting around is bad for you.

Our life expectancy is longer than in the past because of improved nutrition and disease control, as well as reduced infant mortality. Not because we sit on our butts more.

This could be "bad" advice: Maybe even fatal always start slow and take care..........

This is bad advice. I power walk 2 Mile 4 or 5/WK, stationary power bike for 30+ minutes 4/WK, golf 2-18 holes/WK (local mens golf club) and 2 hrs plus of tennis (the senior center tennis club) 2/WK. Modern version of the "Pritikin" diet with very little red meat, fish diet, no sugar, fruits power mixed esp. cranberries, Smoke Good Hydro herb 2/WK, one or two good whiskey drinks 1.5 oz. ea. per week not per day, no beer and not always do the herb. I am very fortunate that I could not work and still have enough money coming in and savings to survive, I am well aware not everyone has this advantage so I say I am hoping the best for everyone and trying the best I can to make our government more friendly and helpful as the many countries that are obviously more humanitarian then ours. I will always keep trying and never give up till the end.

Do no harm first principle of good health.

Dangerous advice here. Not good. I look and feel great. This is a young mans routine and be careful older guys. I am 63 years old look and feel great. Everyone thinks I look as in my early fifties. I stay away from weights I have had to many strains and sprains it just is not for me I feel as though I have plenty of "strength" but I watch what I have to left and ask for help if I have any doubt or pay the gardeners, one can find up and down our neighborhood to do heavy lifting or moving, and pay five or ten each. When I look at the down side this is money well spent and a rare need.

Last thought get a "good nights sleep" not just at night, I try to get in at least 6 hours plus and many times sleep early in the evening and start my computer work at for instance 12Am till and can do lots of work with no distractions. I do mortgage financing, and handle Real Estate transactions and do the actual paper processing of big $$$$ mortgage loans which is paper intensive and is a breeze in the early morning hours (problem is it is sedentary) no distractions. I nap during the afternoon when possible which is no problem because I am pretty tired not worn down just relaxed and drift off easily for a nap time and when I wake up I feel great and full of strength and vigor. I do my posting mostly in the early morning or early evenings I have a lot of down time in the day as I have to wait for responses from all manner of people to push through the mountain of paper work in my profession. This part of my life is very variable and I go with the flow.

My routine is not for everyone, everyone has to structure their exercise as best they can. Being self employed is the biggest help and advantage I have over younger men which I see are over weight even obese. I take important phone calls on my cell phone while on the golf course and the parties I speak with have no idea I am golfing, I love it. My routine I am not always able to meet and do what I have set as my physical routine every week but do as much of what you can and don't stress if you fit in half or even less. As soon as matters settle down get back on your routine and fight, I mean this is a biggie for me, the tendency to not do my routine. I have to over come my mental resistance and just do it (it is a great help to belong to my golf and tennis clubs). It is true having just my wife and I and no children now is a tremendous help I could not fix this routine when our children where in our home. Love them but I do not suffer from the empty nest syndrome I just don't not a bit, we (children) keep in contact through dinners, lunches, cells, emails and more. I like it. Try to to learn to type fast as I post a lot and could never post as I do without being a very fast typer. I love The NewsVine and have learned from others so much, can vent which is cathartic, read different perspectives, I am lucky to have this website site in my life (Tyler).

Good Luck, Good Health (more important than money, believe me) Live Long and Fast, Life is Short. Give someone a hand up if you can, try love not hate and as the song goes "don't worry be happy".

Bye,........

Persevere

lmasure-2120214

"May as well see it end sooner than later!"

Don't say that brother Veteran, hang in there best you can. Is there no one to help you around the house?

lmasure-2120214

Thank you for your service and sacrifice.

@ Jessica - I've taken to using that particular trick. The bonus for me is that the drinking fountain is on a different level of the building. I have a 16 oz bottle that I bring in full & I've been refilling it three times a day. If that's all it takes to be a little healthier then I guess I'll keep doing what I'm doing and keep my kidneys happy too.

Imasure-2120214 -

Brother Veteran, I'm Army Vietnam era and my cousin 9 months ago they had to take a foot off, amputation. Agent Orange, he says he used to just shake that @!$%# off of him and never gave it a second thought. Now it may be the other foot we are waiting to see if they can save it. He is as you, can use a computer and loves his computer he is now investing in a small retail shop as a member of a small investment group. He can't work but he will be one of four owners and if this takes off they will open another. He won't get rich but this could add some extra bucks and keeps him busy and going with a purpose in life. He lives off of disability income United States Veterans Administration. You are not the only one.

You gotta hang in there and never give up thats what big brother wants us to do, which is to give up. I wish I could put you in contact with him he was awarded two Silver Medal's his job was patrolling the Mekong River Delta, your like a shooting duck sitting on a little boat. I am not sure if this is the one called the Red River or not it does not matter. What does matter is that you don't give up you net-work and find people that you can talk to. I call my cousin and he calls me many times per month. Along, with my brother that did his time in Da Nang, Vietnam early 1970's, Zulu Company United States Marines.

Never Surrender Never Give Up or IN.....we don't leave ours behind........"All In All Out"....

I gotta run just know there is much to be gained with just talking to fellow Vet's please try it.

I work in the environmental consulting business...

My first 5-6 years at the job I was outside 5 days a week, 12 months a year in all kinds of weather. The only time I sat was when i was driving to the job site. You burn so many damn calories constantly being on your feet, lifting objects, walking, bending over, etc..especially during the winter months.

Fast forward to today, I'm in the office full time, have gained 15 pounds, and had a herniated disc last year when my back blew out from sitting in an "ergonomic" office chair. I try to get to the gym as much as possible, but in no way whatsoever does it equate to constantly being in motion during the work week.

The links in this article are paid ads. They are not part of the article but are added at a later time to push readers to advertisers sites. The link you mentioned went to men's health for example. Most online literature includes this type of inline advertising. You can recognize the ad link by the tiny dotted line beneath it, the generic sounding sentence it is placed in and a failure by the author to elaborate on the link or even reference it in any other part of their writing. They place these ads by subject so an article referencing unhealthy office environments might include a link to special back support chairs or exercise you can do at your desk. Non of these links were written specifically for that article and the author doesn't generally have control over the ads placed in their writing.

A little Clarification – Post #1.7

I have just returned from almost 2 hours of hitting tennis balls; I re-read my post above I thought I should give a little clarification. I may or may not do a 2 mile walk tonight as likely in the morning. Our tennis set was later than normal due to the time schedules today of two players. Here is my clarification: in the desert here there is so little humidity that you really work up a sweat with minimal efforts, just like I did today and I am told this helps to release toxin from your body. I don’t know if it does or not all I know is I am drenched with sweat. I don’t want to give the impression that I am playing a singles match as though I am playing the French Grand-hardly. I play doubles that way I don’t have to run all over the place, I purposely picked my group that I wanted to join and I am the youngest, which means I can hang.

Our oldest is like 76 was a singles local champion and can kick all our butts in a singles match. Because of the age of the others our tempo is pretty slow. Just the way I purposely planned it, I am the worst of the group. We hardly if at all care who “wins” I certainly don’t care, we mostly just try and keep volleying which is to say keep the ball in play and being that its doubles I don’t have to cover all that much ground and don’t kill myself going after some shot, you want the point that bad there you have it. My goal is to keep toned which tennis is a great way to accomplish that. I take it nice and slow our goal is to keep the ball in play this is important because it is so different than going at it as though there is money at stake (as in golf) or some great ego trip to be the winner. These old geezers just want a workout so this is perfect for me.

We always ride and never walk in the desert, like ride in a golf cart, which is a lot different than walking 6,500 yards of 18-hole golf. Finally, I would amend my statements to the walking and riding to a day and two less and riding at no more usually than 30 minutes.

There that is much more accurate I don’t want someone thinking they want to be like me and think I don’t slack off on the riding and walking. The trick is to join a golfing group and tennis group. Those are carved in stone being in a set group that meets regularly as in a club which I am in I never miss because of the commitment to the group. OK, I am sure there are some jocks out there much older than I that could run marathons and are tri-athletes and so on. I may not even do my walk today and just get in 3 days, which is becoming more to my comfort than 4. I know this does not sound very aggressive but I am not looking to be a champion or number one. Getting out and doing some exercise and especially sweating at the most arduous of these is the doubles tennis.

You don’t have to kill yourself to be in shape and eating and drinking are so important but if you don’t know that anything I write won’t change a thing.

There a little honesty and reality, I feel so good I think I will take a shower and a nap.

Any reason you couldn't stand and answer the phone? As the article said, even just standing was a major plus.

You don't have a right to a job. You do have a right to go somewhere else. At least you did when the repbulicans controlled congress.

Oh please Phil! Spare us the bull!

Valhalla Phil - when democrats control congress, why wouldnt someone have the option to switch jobs?

you said it, so it must be true..now explain you partisan hack.

Valhalla Bill-

Then why did we ban smoking in bars? In airplanes? Because it can be deadly to the employees that are there 8 hrs everyday.

Your "we don't have the right to a job" statement is weak. The waitresses could have sought alternate employment, too, but the courts decided that would be a violation of the employee's civil rights. Same as with the farms in California having to ensure that their employees wouldn't ruin their backs while spending all day stooped over picking vegetables.

I think you're wrong, Bill.

"At least you did when the repbulicans controlled congress."

Tea Party people are so mad and virile, they have to turn everything into a political discussion. That's sad.

I think Valhalla Bill's idea is good. My old boss had a high table and a low table in her office because she often paced while talking on the phone. She could move her laptop to the high table when she was in high-energy mode and sit down at her desk to do more relaxed things.

But really, folks, this has nothing to do with politics and the usual Coke vs. Pepsi arguments. Doesn't anyone take control of their own lives anymore? Are people such pansies in their workplaces that they can't ask the boss to install a higher desk for them? I realize the economic climate isn't ideal for finding the perfect job, but people who want to complain and point fingers will always find an excuse. Maybe it's just me, but I have NEVER let an employer dictate my posture or how often I stretch or when I use the bathroom. Assert yourselves. If you get fired for two minutes of stretching or a pee break every 45 minutes, you work for @!$%#s.

I agree Berecca! I work a desk job in front of a computer so I can't stand to do my work. However, I do try to walk to the break room for a cup of ice water, visit the restroom, or even walk to a coworkers cubical instead of calling or instant messaging them. I highly doubt I'd get fired for a bathroom or water break every once in a while.

It is the little things that matter!

There's a couple of industries that if they were smart, they could really exploit this. First I can think of is the SMart board industries. We have one at work and you have to really do some exercise to work with it. Standing, walking back and forth, reaching. Second would be standing desks which would work sort of like podiums big enough to do your work while standing.

There's ways of getting exercise but we need employers who are willing to spend a bit of cash to deal with it.

me of little faith

I worked at a phone center for about a year; I gained 30 lbs. During that time, three people literally dropped dead at their desks.

Sweet zombie Jesus! 3 people dropped at their desks??? What the hell kind of evil place was that?

Hey V.....

I was trying to find this deal with Jessica about some water and kidney or liver gave up. Thought OK I have two minutes and went over some other posts thats when I read #2.9.

I am still laughing out loud thats a howler thanks.....I am outta here...

They check in but they don't check out..................

You're not wearing a V mask, are ye?

@ V

Comcast customer "support" center?

Yes, I will start chopping wood and reading my e-mail while standing.

Just practice your Captain stance :-D

I also got up and walked around at work but I did sit for a lot of the time. I put in an hour a day at the gym but still couldn't lose weight. Now that I'm retired I guess I do need to get off my behind more often!

One hour at the gym doesn't cut it because it only conditions your body to handle about 1 hour of exertion.

A big problem is it becomes a habit that is hard to break.

Lisa ... to clarify, you work from home, but your boss would take serious issue with me taking a break every 20 minutes to get up and stretch? I've never heard of someone being so hard on themself.

Lisa i know what you mean. Quotas are hard to meet when your taking 20 mins out of an hour to stretch lets see 8 hours a day minus 120 mins wow im losing what a 1/3 of work time. As for the standing thing. i work a desk job assembling health policys and personally i have a feeling that me bending over for 20 mins is going to mess up my spine just as much as me sitting and doing it will. So i pick my job that helps pay for my doctor visits over being a bum who can stand around all day and have a perfectly healthy heart spine and hip flexors.

Sammie, how about getting something that will raise your working surface area if possible.

Suggest it to your company. Make the point that providing such an option increases production just because it shows the company cares about the employees. That has come up in studies where they've changed intesity of lighting on produciton areas.

That would be amazing but something tells me my company wont spend the money on thousands of raisable desks. = (

Well not necessarily. There are other factors. I Met a guy last Saturday that was in the post office with a walker. He was a football player in college and now he can barely get around.

I have an active first 42 years of my life doing things like Navy, building metal buildings, manufacuring and assembling machinery. Now I work in engineering and sit most of the day for the last few years. That decline in activity these last few year are noticable. I get up and move around and go up and down stairs when I can but I am mainly at my desk processing engineering work orders to go to the shop and manufacture and I'm incharge of safety. I've gotten in the habit of this and it's hard to do something after work to help stay in shape. What I need is someone with a cattleprod to get me motivated.

The only thing worse than the cubicle of doom,
is enduring a hangover in the cubicle of doom.

If you don't develop terminal lung cancer, you might be right. It's like the study that said between moderate drinkers, heavy drinkers, and non-drinkers, the non-drinkers are the worst off. I think it had something to do with stress levels, though.

Stronger legs maybe, but healthier heart and lungs? Not so much.

It's coming. ObamaCare is just the start. Remember what Congressman John Dingell said during the ObamaCare debate? He said it takes awhile for healthcare reform to "control the people".

Funny how repubs want government to stay out of their lives, but insist they interject themselves in everyone else's (civil unions, abortions, etc.)

Gone,

You can kill your babies and sleep with your dog as far as I'm concerned. Just stay out of my wallet and not spend my children's future. That's the Tea Party platform.

Road, assuming you have read the tea-parties mission statement, how do you feel about Article one, Section eight of the constitution?

Nothing like watching republicans do the two-step :)

I'm with you Road Warrior -- fiscally conservative but on social issues-- well, I couldn't care less. Funny how libs always want the Bible thumpers to define conservatives. Lack of imagination or outright ignorance, I guess.

Funny how anyone who disagrees with the tea-party ideology, they are deemed either libs, lack of imagination, or ignorant. Most people outgrow the childish name calling, I guess in your case, some never do.

Google the Koch Brothers, you are nothing more than a pawn in someone else's game.

Gone,

I'll pay my taxes, but let's not have another Congress which spends more than they take from me. We got rid of the Republicans in 2006 in hopes of stopping the insane spending only to get more of the same for the last four years. It's time to have real change.

Suzy dear...it's the Bible Thumpers who reek with hypocrisy, so if we ask them to explain themselves, they shouldn't have any problem with it - but...honey...they DO have a problem with it.

It's funny to watch. Really it is!

It's the Bible Thumpers who reek with hypocrisy?

That's funny. Nothing like the pot calling the kettle black. Anyone with any intellectual honesty knows that both sides are full of hyporcrites. Both sides have a large number of people who act like children throwing temper tantrums. BOTH SIDES have idealogues up the wazoo and who seem to delight in insulting their opposition while attempting to claim the "moral" high ground.

The simple truth of the matter is that both sides are full of people with more emotion than brains, more idealogy than logic and more insults than reason.

I saw a commerical from a tea partier the other day that showed a woman at a grocery store - who's overweight - buying a bunch of junk food and then saying "its time govt got out of our lives, im tired of them telling me what I can and cant eat, I can decide on my own"

Wait, doesnt the Tea Party want limited govt (as this commercial implies)?

Well then end govt subsidies, and people want be consuming nearly as much.

Same end result.

Idaho - and then there's people like you who are only good at pointing out how flawed both sides are, and are very short on real solutions...or hell - even participating really in the process.

Quite frankly im sick of independents who only tune in at the end of the game...and then are flabbergasted to learn the politician they voted for was "playing moderate" to swoon everyones votes. Yet every single time, this is how it goes.

Independents are leaning Tea Party. They went Bush, they went Obama...they are now going Tea Party.

Seeing a trend? They arent paying attention, just pretending to be above the fray.

Jessica at least independants have enough sense to vote for someone that they maybe actually like (which in this age is never true because everyones a liar) where as the two sides just vote for there team because they wanna be the winner. " i'm a democrat im gonna vote for a rapist who wants to break down big business! Well im a republican and i'm gonna vote for a pedophile who could care less if I die tomarrow as long as i voted for them!" Also HA tea party sounds so pansy im voting green party. I've never incountered a problem with the color green = )

Jessica,

Independents are the ONLY people paying attention. If you call yourself a "democrat" or a "republican" , you're either naive, or completely insane. Idaho has it right. BOTH parties are screwing this country, and both parties are messed up beyond belief. We need to be voting for PEOPLE, not parties.

And how can you claim to know which way Independents are 'leaning'? That's a load. I guess you're just another 'perfect liberal', huh?

Jessica,

I could give you all kinds of logical, rational solutions to a wide variety of things. I won't bother to waste my time because one side or the other or BOTH would find something to vilify about them.

Sorry but I have better things to do with my time.

I pay very close attention to what's going on. More importantly, I actually do research to try and verify the facts and the truth. Do you?

And thanks for proving my earlier comments for me. Instead of acknowledging my points or attempting to disagree with them in a polite, rational manner, you attacked me. Bravo. You're part of the problem.

Road Warrior-1005773

You can kill your babies and sleep with your dog as far as I'm concerned. Just stay out of my wallet and not spend my children's future. That's the Tea Party platform.

Baby killing and beastiality and frugality are the tea party platform???

Yikes! What the hell is in that tea??!!?!

But seriously....

I encourage you to take 5 minutes to look at the basic ideas of the Libertarian Party here...

http://www.lp.org/platform

This is more like what the founding fathers had in mind....
I believe If more people knew what they stand for, they would be the strongest party in the country.

Post this article on the outside of your cubicle and pass it around to your friends there. You may start a trend.

I also went to engineering school and spent summers working at a railroad yard driving spikes. I think you made the right decision. Those guys who worked at the railroad yard made good money, but their career only lasted to about 45 before their back is completely destroyed.

Went to Engineering school here as well, spent summers as a construction laborer, roofing, framing, digging, little bit of everything physical. Listened to the guys tell me to go to school and get a "real" job (assuming a desk job) so i didn't have to live like they did.

I have been working at an engineering company for 3years and have never felt worse in my life, recently stepped the working out, but this article is not to reassuring. At least I live in NYC and walk to/from subway everyday, walk sitars everyday, and stand almost constantly as there is never a seat on the subway...looks like im slightly ahead of the people that sit all day and drive home ha

I am an engineer also - stuck in cubicle land for 11 hours a day 5 or 6 days a week. My husband is an engineer and works more. The pay is good, but my high school classmates who became teachers are all retired now with real pensions; and the nurses can pick their part time hours and still make more per hour than I do. Both would get more exercise too. When 2014 rolls around, I hope we will be able to buy health insurance (with no recision and without regard to my previous biopies) and get the heck out. Lots of life to catch up on if it is not too late.

I went to college to become a teacher, only to realize my heart wasnt in it. I had worked at a movie theatre (there is no sitting at this job, period) through 2 years of college, and then from there on I had office jobs. Though, here and there I did pick up part time jobs (supplementing my full time work) where I was on my feet - like cleaning jobs.

Now though, im pretty sedintary with my full time desk job. I do move around probably more than most, I drink lots of water and need to refill and use the bathroom at least 1-2 an hour...and have to get up and walk to the printer...and have to get up and walk to talk to coworkers (not a fan of emailing someone who's an office over).

I dont exercise as much as I should...but now im sorta feeling like im ahead of the curve.

Of course, my goal in life was never to get a really awesome high paying job...I suppose for some the idea of working 6 days a week 60 hrs a week, so they can gloat about their status in the working world works for some people...just never worked for me. My goal in life (and dont laugh) was finding the love of my life and living happily ever after.

I found her at age 20...and 11 + years later, we are pretty dang happy.

Me thinks im doing something right...chasing the right dreams, or something.

I sit all day. im gonna die and have a horrible back. My mom works at a jewel and has screwed up legs because shes not allowed to sit so standing all day damages the cartilege and bones in your legs which i assume will one day affect your back as well (dont quote me im not a doctor) but sitting all day will skip my legs and go straight for my back...hmmm atleast i can still walk i guess.

If you gained 20-25 lbs while counting calories, you weren't counting them right...

google "burn the fat feed the muscle".

Teach him to "sit". Then keep him waiting for his treat.

They let you use computers in third grade?

I agree with your idea about walking to the next office instead of calling. It helps the blood flow and it's nice to get away from the computer once in a while.

Getting up from the computer and moving around a little a couple of times an hour is also useful in avoiding overuse injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome in the wrists .... and those little breaks have been shown to actually increase production.

Sully: Their platform is simple > smaller government. Naturaly that "platform" has a multitude of different planks, and that's what I think has people confused. The goal is smaller government = less taxes = less intrusion in our lives. There's many many different ways to go about reaching that goal. That's why the Tea Party encompasses so many people. BTW, I'm not a Tea Bagger, buy I do respect their zeal for trying to reduce the $1.5T federal budget.......the fed govt is too big, and it's a dangerous monster.

The tea party does seem to be full of aimless folks. But the federal budget is way out of hand.

well said Scrimminy.

I'm sorry but I can't find it in my heart to vote for someone who has campaigned against masturbation and who doesn't know that the constitution requires separation of church and state...just because he or she wants smaller government. I want smaller government too, but not at the risk of becoming the world's laughingstock and the most ignorant nation around.

Well said Lisa!

NoParty

Did you even read the article?

Really. That's a dumb comment. NoParty took it personal I guess? Exercise is good....sitting at a desk is not good for the health. This one is a no brainer. I sit at a desk too...and am not personally offended to read this. I was a tile contractor for 15 years...and am now a programmer for 10 years. I know that I was in better shape when I was doing construction.

Obviously working yourself to exhaustion every day for multiple years is going to take it's toll. Just the same, sitting around doing nothing will lead to complications. So the 'best' job to have from a health standpoint is one where you need to walk from place to place regularly (but not constantly walking all day, as I do believe that would end up causing issues in the end as well).

Our father was a laborer and also did backbreaking work every day. He made it to 90 even though he was a heavy smoker. He walked straight and tall until two weeks before his death. My sister and I feel a lot older at our ages than he did. It is, no doubt healthier to have a job that requires you to move all day, but I just never felt I could handle digging ditches, and Papa wouldn't have wanted his daughters to do that. I know we'd be a lot healthier if we did.