Sitting is the New Smoking…Get Up and Move!

heart-disease-preention

   Do you find yourself sitting more instead of moving around? If your job is in front of a computer, you could be at risk for heart disease if you don’t get up and exercise, says Dr. David C. Goff, director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Division of Cardiovascular Sciences.

He said Indiana’s leading cause of death is heart disease and the Hoosier State is 13th in the country in the number of people who die from heart disease.

“The good news is heart disease is largely preventable,” said Goff. “If people follow a healthy lifestyle, see their doctor and follow their doctor’s advice, probably somewhere around 80 percent of all the heart attacks that occur in our country could be prevented.”

Goff said smoking is a huge part and recommended that Indiana raise the age to buy tobacco products legally to 21 and raise the cigarette tax. One state lawmaker has already proposed jacking up the price of cigarettes by $2.

But, Goff said for people who don’t smoke, you need to make sure you’re getting up off of your rear end and exercising. He said inactivity is also a big problem in Indiana.

“I’ve heard some people say that sitting is the new smoking and by that they mean that it’s become a real problem. More and more of our jobs are sitting in front of a computer,” he said. “So, it’s really important to build physical activity into your life.”

Some suggestions: take the stairs instead of the elevator and park further away from the building so that you’re walking further and getting your blood pumping.

“It’s important to build in some more aerobic or brisk activity,” said Goff. “The current recommendation is to get about 150 minutes a week of something like brisk walking.”

He said eating healthy meals and improving your overall diet is also a big part of getting healthy and preventing heart disease.

(story from Network Indiana)