A rather surprising article in my Yahoo homepage greeted my eyes as I opened my laptop today. "Experts: Sitting Too Much Could Be Deadly," shouts the article's headline.

The very gist of the article is something that we all probably already know - that spending long hours in a couch or chair in front of the television or computer, has spawned the alarming growth of the couch potato population. We are also aware that this sedentary lifestyle has in turn contributed to the rising cases of illnesses, notably diabetes, heart, and circulatory disorders. What's new is that the article claims that even regular exercisers are susceptible to these maladies if they spend long hours seated everyday, whether in front of the tv or computer, in the office, or in the car.

Elin Ekblom-Bak of the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences published the article this week in an editorial at the British Journal of Sports and Medicine. According to the article, "after four hours of sitting, the body starts to send harmful signals." Ekblom-Bak explained that the genes regulating the amount of fat and glucose in the body start to shut down. This sets the stage for the development of the diseases.

What's really surprising and quite disturbing is the fact that the article kinda put regular exercisers like me on center stage. I am a six days a week one hour brisk walker/jogger, and three times a week gym habitue, working out two hours per session. Back home, after I freshen up, I spend long hours in front of my laptop, taking only short breaks to eat. I am sure anyone in the same situation would feel troubled. All along, I thought my routine was alright, and that I'm over the hump. But now the article warns me that I should also watch out.

The experts'suggestion was to spread your exercise over the day instead of one session, which I think will not sit well with my workout schedule. Breaking up your long sitting hours as often as possible is also recommended. I immediately thought of getting a P90X Extreme, a highly popular home workout program, which I think would perfectly fit with the proposals. Or the exercise resistance bands, which is a good equipment for supplementing gym workouts.

The article was an eye-opener for me, and I suppose, to all regular exercisers who spend most of the rest of the day after the exercise in activities sitting down for long periods of time. I am glad it came out at a time when I am not yet feeling or experiencing the ugly effects of long hours of sitting.