I'll be the first to admit that I don't get up and walk around as much as I should while I'm at work. I've got a one-year-old and am pretty physically exhausted. All of the time. So, when I get to work, it's nice to be able to sit down and not have to chase a mini squirming Houdini, but still- that doesn't mean I should sit as much as I do.

There's a new survey that found people with desk jobs only get up from their desk three times a day. People tend to get up only to grab a drink and use the restroom and then they plop back down in their chair where they park it for hours at a time.

I've worked in jobs where my boss was such a tyrant that I was scared to sneeze because I might get yelled at, so I can sympathize with the survey finding that the biggest reason people stay at their desk is because they're just so swamped or afraid the phone will ring if they leave.

About one in five people surveyed said that they've put on more than 10 pounds in the past year, and they're pretty sure sitting around at work is the main reason for the weight gain. What's more is that  70% of those surveyed said that sitting at a desk all day has a negative effect on their mental health, physical health, or both.

Another thing the survey found is that 10% of people don't take lunch breaks, and another 40% regularly eat lunch at their desk.

What's more is that the Annals of Internal Medicine has learned that you've got a better chance of having health issues if you sit at your desk all day rather than allowing yourself to get up and walk around. Some are even going so far as to say that sitting is the new smoking and that sitting is the new silent killer.

So what can we do to help make sure that our jobs aren't 'harming' our health? The answer is simple- get up, stretch and walk around a little bit. Oh, and use that lunch hour that your company gives you. If you don't take it, you're basically just working for free, which your company may like, but use that time to walk and stretch and clear your head. Read a book, call a friend, eat. Whatever it is you do, do it for you. That's one hour out of the day that belongs to you and nobody else.

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