BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Are you sitting down? Better yet, you might want to stand when you read this.

An obesity expert is saying that sitting down at your job for prolonged periods is bad for your health, even if you have a vigorous workout later.

Dr. James Levine of the Mayo Clinic suggested that time at the gym can’t fix the damage done from prolonged sitting. “Being sedentary for nine hours a day at the office is bad for your health whether you go home and watch television afterwards or hit the gym,” he said to NBC’s Rock Center. “It appears that what is critical and maybe even more important than going to the gym, is breaking up that sitting time.”

Levine notes that the body only burns about one calorie per minute when it is sitting, and fat and cholesterol levels also increase. He recommends people who sit for too long at work to get up and move for ten minutes an hour.

A study published in the journal Diabetologia last year indicated that long periods of sitting doubled a person’s risk for heart disease and diabetes. According to The Guardian, the research said that adults average 50% to 70% of their time seated at work, or in front of the television or computer.

Another study of people 45 years old or over found that those who sat for 11 or more hours each day saw their risk of dying over the next three years increase by 40 percent. Also, every hour of television watched after a person reaches age 25 reduces their life expectancy by 21.8 minutes.

Money Crashers suggests using a standing desk at a comfortable height at work to increase your activity. They also recommend drinking coffee or water from smaller cups, standing up during meetings, and stepping away from your television.