In our tech-driven, computer-worshipping world, every day life is sedentary--often inescapably so. No more do the masses roll-up their sleeves and perform manual labor in factories, or toil within the fields from sun-up to sun-down. Rather, the vast majority of our days are spent languishing in cramped cubicles or offices, punching zhen de shou away at a keyboard, staring endlessly at a bright computer screen. For that average 9-to-5er, a short jaunt with the parking lot for your car might be the peak of the daily exercise. We all know that lack of exercise isn't good for that body. But how about all that downtime spent parked inside a chair at the office? Let's say which was just like deadly for the health--if not worse--than not exercising? It's been estimated that Americans spend a whopping 56 hours every week located on our bums--slouched before computer screens, sprawled on the couch watching television, hunched within the steering wheel. And our chair-bound lifestyles are killing us, literally. In recent years, the medical community has identified a brand new epidemic, fittingly dubbed "sitting disease," that refers back to the condition of prolonged sitting and it is physiological and metabolical effects on your body. "Our bodies have evolved over countless many years to do one thing: move," says James Levine, M.D., Ph.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and author of Move just a little, Lose a Lot. "As people, we evolved to stand upright. For thousands of generations, the environment demanded nearly constant physical activity." The repercussions of sitting disease are profound. In studies, excessive sitting continues to be associated with a host of health issues, including worsened mental health, a higher risk of heart disease, a larger incidence of diabetes type 2, and weight gain. Too much chair time is also believed to lead to shorter lifespans--almost by as much as 2 yrs, research has concluded. Beyond cardiovascular issues, habitual sitting wreaks havoc on our posture and spinal health, predisposing us to chronic neck and back pain. If you feel your nightly Zumba class renders you safe from sitting disease, think again. As hopeless because this might sound, not even daily gym excursions are sufficient to counterbalance the adverse effects of our marathon sitting sessions. A growing body of research has found that those who spend the majority of a full day glued to some seat tend to be more apt to die at an earlier age than those who sit less--even if those sitters exercise. Whenever your muscles are immobile, circulation slows. Which means you use less of your blood sugar and burn less fat, consequently upping your risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Comparisons have even been drawn to smoking: Just like exercise can't counteract the perils of smoking cigarettes, a regular 5K isn't enough undo those hours of sitting. This, of course, isn't to point out that you should give up and prevent exercising altogether--quite the contrary. Heart-pumping, calorie-burning being active is undoubtedly essential to our overall health and wellbeing, a sensible way to prevent almost all disease states. However, diehard exercisers needn't be complacent using the false assumption they aren't impacted by sitting disease. Sitting is equally toxic to every one, from marathon runners to couch potatoes. "The human, to put it simply, wasn't made to sit all day long," James A. Levine states in his essay "Health-Chair Reform," published in the journal Diabetes. So what is a chair-bound office manager to complete? Before ditching the office job in order to salvage your health, realize that there are several easy ways to ward off the dangers of sitting disease. The bottom line is finding clever ways to incorporate more "mini movements" during the day, experts say. So as long while you seize every opportunity to move more at work--and continue to aim for Half an hour of daily physical activity for example hiking, running, biking or swimming--you'll greatly slash your risk of developing sitting-related health complications. Below are some simple ways to counter the side effects of prolonged sitting: 1. Invest in a standing desk. Answering the demand for healthier and more ergonomic workplaces, numerous companies have stepped up towards the plate (or the table, so to speak) with a quantity of super slim green lean adjustable standing desks. These functional, customizable work stations afford workers the choice of working while standing or sitting, so that you can switch readily backward and forward.