This is generally the type of information that you would need to have a seat for, but perhaps you should just wait on that. Given recent reports, we have to ask… is your chair killing you? If you’re ‘parked’ in that chair for hours, then yes. It turns out that sitting will kill us, eventually. Researchers in Toronto are finding that sitting for long periods of time is shortening our lifespan. Ughh, it’s not exactly unexpected, but certainly not what we wanted to hear. Let’s face it, technologies over the past hundred years have freed us from so many physical demands and now, with modern advances, we can accomplish so much without ever leaving our chair. In fact, these days it seems that sitting is the only time we are getting things done. Our lives, personal and professional, are requiring more and more time tapping away at a computer, which for most of us, means more and more time sitting. We may not even realize, as communication, work, social interaction, shopping and entertainment are all done in front of a screen, just how long our bodies remain at relative rest in a chair.

We all suspected that all this sitting around wasn’t good and we knew that the absence of physical activity was certainly affecting the scale, but now, through recent research, we are realizing just how devastating our inactivity can be. Aside from tipping the scales, investing too much time in that comfortable chair showed a 24% increased risk of dying from health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Research hasn’t nailed down what is considered to be too much, but if you are sitting for more than 8 hours a day, you can consider yourself in the danger zone.

‘What’s the big deal, I exercise’, and that’s great, unfortunately, although exercise helps, it doesn’t undo all the damage that we cause over all those seated hours. So what do we do? Just get up and move. Stand when you can, try placing your computer higher so you can stand when you work. Use your lunch break to build in a stroll during your work day. 30 minutes is enough a few days a week and it doesn’t have to be rigorous. Not only will it get you out of a chair, but it will put you in a better, more productive mood for your afternoon.

At Swami Mami we believe in a lifestyle that encourages healthy and natural. Sitting all day is not natural, and certainly not healthy. We believe in working with the body and supporting its needs and that’s what our teas are all about. Swami Mami Teas are all natural and support the internal functions that are so vital to healthy living. So tomorrow morning start off right, have your Swami Mami morning cup of Get Lean tea to internally prepare your body for the day and then resolve to ditch that chair whenever you can!