Sitting all day may be slowly killing you. In fact studies show that the modern sedentary lifestyle might be as deadly as smoking. For every additional average hour per day you sit at a desk, your chance of death by heart disease goes up an average of 14 percent. Additionally, sitting for long periods of time over the course of your day doubles your chance of getting type 2 diabetes, dramatically increases your chances of being obese, and has also been linked to depression and anxiety disorder.

Here are three simple tips from KnucleUp Fitness to help counter these ill effects:

Walk More – Walking has been shown to fight heart disease, obesity and improve mood. Many residential communities are now designed to encourage walking. Find ways to walk at work as well. Consider parking your car farther away from your building and always use the stairs instead of the elevator.

Stand Up – Tasks you usually perform sitting can many times be done standing up. For example, when you talk on the phone, stand up and walk around. Not only will it improve your health but it will make you sound more energetic on the phone as well. If you commute on the bus or train, opt to stand instead of sit. Try watching TV standing up or get up and move around during commercial breaks.

Join a Gym – Exercise can counteract many of the problems caused by prolonged sitting. Joining a reputable gym can help you exercise more effectively through proper instruction and motivation. Your gym can also be a great place to meet new friends and like-minded people as well.

To find out about how KnuckleUp uses the power of martial arts to make the fitness classes at our gym fun, exciting, and effective contact us here.