(THE NOURISHED EPICUREAN)  Kathryn Matthews. March 27, 2017 — If you want to lose weight (and keep it off), improve your overall health and slow down the aging process, what’s the one thing you can do right now? Move more.

Movement is essential for optimal health. The human body is designed to move.  For most of evolutionary history, our ancestors were in constant motion—sprinting, climbing, jumping, or carrying heavy objects.  On average, they walked 6 miles and ran one-half to one mile a day¹.

The 19^th century Industrial Revolution, however, marked the beginning of our transformation into a progressively sedentary culture.  Now, in our commuting, cubicle and computer-driven world, excessive sitting is the new smoking.  The average American is sedentary—sitting for 9 to 10 hours—for two-thirds of the day (during waking hours)². Unfortunately, even a 30- to 60-minute workout does not offset the adverse health consequences of excessive sitting, including increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, weight gain/obesity and other chronic health conditions³. Studies suggest that vigorous exercise alone isn’t enough to prevent changes in bone metabolism caused by too much sitting⁴.

Source: the nourished epicurean – healthy living in good taste