Despite sweating at least an hour every day, doing zumba, bootcamp, yoga, running, jumping rope, lifting free weights, stretching… and despite trying to strengthen my heart, lungs, bones and maintain my flexibility in my fight against the villainous side effects of being in my late 20’s, I found out I’m losing anyway, because the rest of the day I’m either sitting on my bum in front of the computer or sitting on a couch pretending to be awake while some Joe or Jane talks about how stressful their Hollywood celebrity lives are.

And when I say “the rest of the day”, I really mean the rest of the day.

For my steady-paycheck job, I sit in front of a computer and/or couch for hours and hours. And after clocking out, I settle in again in front of the screen designing websites, blogging, watching tv show reruns, Skyping with friends, stalking people on Facebook, etc.

Yeah…my life revolves around sitting in front of the computer.

And now I find out it’s killing me! 🙁

In an article for Men’s Life, Maria Masters says I could even be labeled a couch potato by some doctors: “New evidence suggests, in fact, that the more hours a day you sit, the greater your likelihood of dying an earlier death regardless of how much you exercise or how lean you are.”

But hallelujah, there’s something I can do about it without quitting my desk job(s) and trying to find one as a paper girl or fire fighter or lumberjack.

Apparently, just taking small breaks helps counter the effects…even little things like standing up when I’m on the phone can help. The important thing is to get up and do something at least every hour.

It’s not as easy as it sounds, though, at least not for me. It’s like I’m under a spell, frozen to my chair, and it’s a major effort to unfold myself, even to go to the bathroom!

But I’m not sweating every day just to have all the benefits evaporate because of an otherwise sedentary lifestyle. Now I keep an eye on that little computer clock. Every hour I stand up, face the window, jog in place, do some stretches, and every two hours or so I head outside for a brisk two-minute walk. My legs are so grateful for that stretch! And getting outside in the fresh air is a wonderful mental break, as well.  Better than a 6th (or is it my seventh?) cup of coffee.

So if you’re like me, stuck behind a desk ALL DAY LONG, get up and get moving for your health’s sake!

Because I care about you and want you to stick around for a long, long time – hey, after all, if you guys are no longer around, who’s gonna bother reading my daily drivel? LOL 😉

PS: Today’s featured song is “Unpretty” by TLC. Enjoy…