Scientists do research about heart health all the time right? We are all constantly bombarded with articles and news stories about our health. Well, I came across another one of those stories today on Yahoo news. The story was about some research done at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Louisiana. The scientists analyzed the lifestyles of more than 17,000 men and women over a period of about 13 years. They found that they people who sit for most of the day are 54 percent more likely to die of heart attacks. Yikes!
I guess that in a way this is kind of common knowledge. Everyone knows that getting more exercise is important for health. The part that caught my attention was the percentage. That is a huge factor.
I am often guilty of spending an entire day sitting on my rear even thought I know that I shouldn’t. I don’t think I am at an age yet where I need to worry too much about having a heart attack. I am aware though that this sort of thing builds up over a long time. Even though you might not feel like you are approaching that heart attack today, twenty years from now you will be a lot closer to having one.
I can totally see this being a huge health issue in this country now that so many people have white collar desk jobs instead of standing on your feet factory work. Could this shift in the nature of work environments in the US be contributing heavily to the rise in obesity in America? I think that is a logical assumption. What do we do about it?
I am not sure that there is a whole lot that companies can do about it. They could encourage their employees to be a little more active. I have heard of some places encouraging people to wear pedometers. That is a good step. Some people think that companies should provide standing desks for their employees instead of desks that you sit at. I can tell you firsthand though that after working at both types of desks, it is definitely more comfortable to work at a sitting desk. And, I am younger than a lot of other office workers. So, I imagine that is even more true as you get older.
With the healthcare issue in this country being a hot button item, maybe the answer to the nation’s soaring health costs should include initiatives by government to encourage healthier lifestyles. I know that politicians preach about it all the time. But, how many people are going to make a serious effort to get healthy because some politician says so? Heck, people won’t even listen to their doctors. I think we are going to have to start getting creative in the ways that we encourage physical fitness. I am not sure how we are going to do that though.
