SITTING DOWN IS KILLING US.

Sitting for several hours will shorten your life considerably. Researchers say that sitting puts you at a greater risk for diabetes, heart disease, and death. People aged 45 and older who sit more than eleven hours a day have a 40% increase in the chance of dying in the next three years.  Even if you exercise regularly, your chances of dying prematurely increase the more you sit.

Who knew? Why is something that feels so comfortable suddenly a danger to our health? Would you rather stand or sit? What if you had to be on your feet all day, standing behind a retail counter? Or standing instead of sitting on a six hour flight to Vegas?

I'm doomed. I have no choice but to sit hours every day from the time I get up to when I go to work. I can't stand and write at the same time. I don't stand up when I'm on the air. In fact, my company just bought some new chairs for our studio. They're much more comfortable than the ones we had and once you sit in them, it's tough to get up because they feel so good. I get more work done, from checking content on my computer to making notes on things I think about when I'm sitting.

I'm uncomfortable standing up for any length of time. My back bothers me and unless I have sneakers on, so do my feet. Even my legs get sore. I suppose I could stand up when I'm speaking into the microphone, but it feels odd. After a million years of doing radio, sitting and talking is a natural way for me to communicate.  Walk into my boss's office and you'll find him sitting behind his ask. The only time he gets up is to go to the men's room, walk down the hallway, and get something to eat, or walk to his car at the end of the day.

Think about that. We sit in our cars, on our couches, on lawn furniture, and in chairs when we go to the movies. The only time I'm standing in the course of an average day is when I'm in the shower, getting another cup of coffee or when I'm exercising.

I don't think well standing up. Look at the Rodin's sculpture The Thinker. It's the statue of a man sitting with one fist tucked under his chin, obviously lost in thought. We don't associate standing up with thinking. If we want to think about something, 99% of us sit down. Even my doctor sits down when I visit him for routine health exams.

Adults spend an average of 70% of their life sitting. Whether it's watching football or working at the computer, they sit. Experts advise for every hour we sit, that we get up and walk around somewhere. Down the hall or up the stairs. Stand up when you have to take a call. In meetings, get up and walk around the room.

I'm sitting right now. You're probably sitting too. So the next time someone says," I've been on my feet all day", remind them how healthy they are and how much longer they'll live than if they made their living sitting in a chair. Look at those people who stand behind the checkout counter at the supermarket or in retail stores and understand that despite how uncomfortable it may be to stand all day, it's much more lethal than to sit down and relax.