By Jorgen Sundberg,

The past 40 years have seen a lot of changes to the American lifestyle, including the way we work. People are sitting more, getting less exercise, engaging with computers on a daily basis, and finding new ways to get stressed out.

So how has this shift in the way we work affected Americans? A lack of exercise coupled with sitting down for eight or more hours at a time have contributed to a variety of health issues in America, not the least of these being the obesity epidemic.

People sitting at a computer all day are at a heightened risk for packing on pounds, developing heart disease, and dying young—and yet over 80% of Americans report to a desk job every morning. In a nation that extolls working hard and working often, many may be displeased to find that at the end of the day, all that work just might be killing you.

Some shocking stats from this infographic:

*292 million Americans do not get the minimum level of exercise for good health
*Americans burn 140 fewer calories a day than they did 50 years ago
*This adds up to 51,100 calories for an average weight gain of 14.6 pounds per year
*In the 1960s nearly half of all jobs required physical activity, today it’s less than 20%
*People with sedentary jobs are twice as likely to die from heart disease
*When you sit down at your computer your calorie burning slows to 1 calorie per minute
*Three out of four Americans say work is stressful
*One out of four say it’s the most stressful thing in their lives
*1 million workers call in sick to work every day due to stress
*Workplace stress costs employers $200 billion per year

Is there anything we can do to be healthier at work? Yes, hit the gym before or after work, sit back in your chair and keep your hands clean with sanitisers to avoid catching germs.