IS YOUR JOB KILLING YOU? (LITERALLY.)

Do you ever get a sneaking feeling that someone, or something, is out to get you? Are you being followed? Do you lay awake at night imagining shapes in every shadow, too scared to look out the window, or sleep with the closet door closed? The truth is, one of the scariest images you could see on a dark and stormy night is, a chair. Yes, a chair.

Sitting is slowly killing us. While those who exercise regularly (30 minutes per day, 5 days per week) are 19% less likely to be visited by the grim reaper, sitting for 6 or more hours per day may be undoing all of your hard work.

As the Info-graphic linked by the image above points out, prolonged sitting can increase your risk of death in the next 15 years by up to 40%. Prolonged sitting has been found to significantly increase your risk for cardiovascular disease, such as chest pain or heart attack. But if you work a desk job from 9:00 to 5:00, you may not have much of a choice. Are we to accept our ill fate, and sit ourselves to death? Dr. Neil Levine, of the Mayo Clinic, suggests we focus on staying NEAT throughout the workday, that is "Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis," or small activities. These include, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking to a coworkers desk instead of sending an email, stretching regularly, fast-walking to the water cooler, mixing a drink in your BlenderBottle, or bringing small exercise items like ankle weights or hand grippers to work with you.

If you're feeling more ambitious, (and your office permits it), try a standing desk. Here at BlenderBottle HQ, standing desks have taken quite a foot hold, with a number of employees opting to stand. While dedicated standing desks can get pricey, there are inexpensive ways to try it out, such as this $22 DIY desk - a favorite of a few of our very own BlenderBottle team members. Regardless of your methods, just get up and move, for your health.