Sitting & Diabetes

Do you spend most of your day sitting around? If so, you might be at risk for diabetes.

This particularly applies to women. A new study looking at how much we sit and what that does to us, found out some bad news. Women who spend only four to seven hours a day sitting were more likely to start showing signs of type 2 diabetes. For some reason, we can't quite figure out, the same didn't apply to men.

But that doesn't let guys off the hook. Studies released earlier this year found that for both men and women, sitting more than 8 hours a day also meant you were more likely to die over the next three years than if you didn't sit that much.

Here's what we think is happening. Although you might exercise, which is still good for you and important for your health, if you spend a lot of time sitting during the day then you don't burn those little calories that add up to a lot. Just by standing or walking around you burn little bits of calories here and there and those add up. Plus you exercise you muscles by just standing or walking and that adds up too.

And we are finding that it's these little things, standing and walking about, that add up to great health benefits. So when you can, get up and stretch or better yet walk the halls and get those little snippets of exercise that could save your health.