Reclaim Your Health: 10 Habits to Reverse the Damage of Sitting
Take control of your health and defy the dangers of sitting with these transformative habits.
Sitting in front of a computer is destroying your health.
If you sit for more than 6 hours per day, you’re increasing your risk of
- Heart disease
- Osteoporosis
- Obesity
- Death
Here are 10 habits that will reverse the damage of sitting.
1. Walk 2 minutes, every hour
A 2015 study showed that as little as 2 minutes of walking per hour has the effect of reducing one’s risk of dying by one-third.
It’s so simple, yet so many of us don’t do it.
Two minutes of walking each hour to reduce your risk of early death by all causes by 33%.
Make an effort to get up every hour.
2. Lift weights 3x per week
Lifting weights is key to good health.
Loading your muscles
- Burns a lot of fat
- Increases your metabolism
- Improves your muscle mass (which will lead to you burning more calories at rest)
All of these will reverse the damage done by sitting.
3. Avoid seed oils
Seed oils are a new addition to the human diet.
They’re highly inflammatory and are destroying your health.
If you want to preserve your health, avoid these at all costs.
These oils clog up our metabolism and make it really hard for our bodies to tap into their own stored fuel sources — i.e., fat.
This will exacerbate the damage done by sitting a lot.
4. Stretch
If you sit more than 6 hours a day, you’re going to have a lot of tightness.
This can lead to pain, injury, and a loss of function.
Here are 7 key stretches you should do every day:
5. Limit your sugar intake
Eating foods with sugar and then sitting down is one of the worst things you can do.
When we eat sugar, our blood glucose levels spike.
Repeated blood sugar spikes can lead to
- Weight gain
- Hormonal imbalances
- Mood disorders
- Insulin resistance
- Fatty liver disease
- Alzheimer’s disease
6. Single-ingredient foods
You need to eat high-quality foods if you want to lose weight.
By prioritizing single-ingredient foods (i.e., foods as they come in nature — with no ingredients list), you will make massive progress on your goal.
Eat these foods 80% of the time and be flexible with the other 20%.
7. Reduce stress levels
Stress is an overlooked aspect of health.
Cortisol (our stress hormone) disrupts insulin activity and leads to weight gain, low testosterone, and a host of other issues.
Prioritize stress management and include de-stressing practices in your day.
8. Eat protein
Protein is crucial for good health.
You need to eat AT LEAST 1g/lb body weight.
How do you eat this much protein?
Aim for 30–40g/meal or snack through:
- Fish
- Eggs
- Meat
- Yogurt
- Whey
- Cottage cheese
9. Get 7+ hours of high-quality sleep
If you’re not getting 7 hours of sleep, you’re damaging your body even more.
When you’re not getting enough sleep, your hormones will be out of whack — leading to increased hunger (and craving the junk foods listed above).
Your body is also way more likely to hold onto fat and is going to struggle to build muscle.
10. Drink 3L of water
Hydration is crucial.
If you want to take care of your body, you need to be drinking at least 3L of water per day.
Drinking water will ensure your body is functioning optimally AND it’ll help you stay on track with your nutrition.
To reverse the damage of sitting for more than 6 hours:
- Walk 2 minutes, every hour
- Lift weights 3x per week
- Avoid seed oils
- Stretch
- Limit your sugar intake
- Prioritize single-ingredient foods
- Reduce stress levels
- Eat protein
- Get 7 hours of sleep
- Drink 3L of water per day
Want to transform your health, one habit at a time?
Sign up for my free weekly newsletter, Momentum. Each week you’ll receive one new habit to try. I’ll explain why it’s important and how to make it easy. This newsletter will help you to create the momentum you need to move towards a healthier and happier future.
