"Today's workers are living longer and working longer than any other generation in history," said Dr. Eric Plasker, a chiropractor and president and CEO of the Family Practice, a chiropractic coaching and training organization. "An average person working an eight-hour day over a 45-year career span will spend nearly 15 years of it sitting — since we're no longer an industrial, but a desk, work force."

Most of us sit to commute, sit at work, sit at lunch and dinner, and sit after dinner to watch TV, play video games or read.

SCOTT THIGPEN/Special (ENLARGE)

LEITA COWART/Special (ENLARGE)

'The long-term effects of sitting for a living aren't pretty,' says Dr. Eric Plasker, author of 'The 100 Year Lifestyle.'

"While our bodies were designed for hunting/gathering, most of our hunting and gathering is done over the Internet," said Plasker, international wellness expert and author of "The 100 Year Lifestyle."

And the consequences? Let's just say that our minds aren't the only things expanding in the information age. Rising obesity is a national crisis.

"The long-term effects of sitting for a living aren't pretty," Plasker said. "Sitting increases pressure on the joints and spine, decreases circulation, lets stress chemicals build up, and can leave you feeling older, tighter, sluggish and irritable."

It also means we're losing strength and muscle tone and aren't burning calories.

That's costly individually and collectively. According to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, the United States will spend $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years to treat a range of debilitating ailments — including diabetes, depression, osteoporosis, heart disease and certain cancers — that result from a sedentary lifestyle.

"No one wants to get to be 70, 80 or 100 years old and be crippled, alone and broke," Plasker said.

Because the odds are that many of us will live that long, Plasker encourages his audiences and readers to prepare for it. To be fit for a long life, you need to get up and get moving.

Members and staff at Gold's Gym in Paramus, N.J., have been busy getting their ESS — endurance, strength and structure — in shape since Plasker spoke there about "The 100 Year Lifestyle" a year ago.

"We're in the business of helping people have a better quality of life now and down the road," said Mike Epstein, co-owner of the Gold's Gym in Paramus. "Dr. Plasker raised a lot of awareness among our members and personal trainers. His message makes sense. If you want to have a better quality of life as you age, you need to keep walking and moving, strengthening your core, using good posture, eating healthy, etc. It's a holistic approach and a lifestyle."

Epstein is proud to have more than 300 people enrolled in a seniors exercise program at the gym, and he's pleased that some companies will reimburse their employees for gym membership based on their attendance.

Because finding time to get to a gym can be a challenge for workers, Mari Garner offers an alternative: boot camp. Among her individual and corporate wellness programs is a four-week, outdoor, fitness boot camp held in six parks around metro Atlanta.

"The most popular camps start at 5:45 a.m. or 6 p.m., because workers do them before or right after work," said Garner, founder and president of the American Boot Camp Co. "If you exercise first thing in the morning, there's no traffic, no meetings, no excuses."

Trainers spend about 15 minutes talking about good nutrition and then participate with boot campers in a 45-minute exercise program that includes stretches, running, calisthenics, games and activities.

"We have beginners who haven't been exercising to people training for a triathlon. I often take the more out-of-shape group, because I once battled back from 215 pounds, and I know the challenges they face," Garner said.

Each trainer works with five boot campers at a time and is available to participants at all times during the 30-day period via e-mail.

"It's like personal training in a group setting. They come to camp four days a week, and we give them homework for the other days — workouts they can do at home or if they're traveling for work," Garner said.

She sends participants daily, inspirational e-mails with health, fitness and nutrition information, because she considers her program a motivational program for life. Many sign on for a second four-week session in order to cement their new habits.

"The first week is tough, but, after a couple of weeks, they notice they feel better, their energy level isn't dropping at 3 p.m. and they're more productive," Garner said.

Her company tailors wellness programs for corporate clients or grants boot camp discounts to groups of co-workers.

"When workers come and do push-ups together, they develop a new respect for one another and form a common bond," she said.

"Studies on employees and exercise show that those who exercise three times a week or more are more productive, have better attitudes and fewer absences — and that's good for the company bottom line," said Jeff Galloway, president of Galloway Productions and race director for the Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk. He won the first Peachtree Road Race in 1970.

The number of companies that register, form teams and train together for the 26-year-old fall race increases annually. The event ends in a huge company picnic downtown.

"Everyone who signs up, whether individually or through a company, gets an eight-week training membership at a local gym and motivational tips for getting into shape," Galloway said. "People who wouldn't run a regular race are encouraged to walk or run 3.1 miles if their co-workers are doing it. Company leaders tell us that it's a great team-building and morale-building program for their workers."

Moving creates changes in our bodies that allow us to feel better and think better, Galloway said.

"When you hit a mental barrier at work, if you get up and move around, your right brain may kick in with solutions," he said. "One of the riskiest behaviors in our society is sitting all the time."

You! Out of that chair!

Try these suggestions for getting more movement, fun and fitness into your daily routine.

• "Follow the 50/10 rule," said Dr. Eric Plasker, author of "The 100 Year Lifestyle." "After 50 minutes at your desk, get up and move to stimulate the circulation and creativity."

Go fill your water bottle ("You should be drinking eight to 10 eight-ounce glasses of water a day," said Mari Garner, founder of the American Boot Camp Co.), go to the restroom, do your copying or go see a co-worker instead of e-mailing. "You're not only moving but could be building better personal relationships in the office," Garner said.

• Take a detour after your commute. Get to work earlier and walk in the parking lot for 20 minutes. Park away from the building and take the stairs. Walk to a nearby restaurant for lunch. Walk briskly, lengthen your stride and use a full range of motion.

• Try stretching in the mid-morning or afternoon, instead of reaching for that cup of coffee or candy bar. Using your foot, write the alphabet to stretch your ankles, calves and shins, Garner said. Rotate your head slowly on your neck. With your arms overhead, clasp your hands and stretch from side to side.

"Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, put your hands on your waist and rotate your hips, first clockwise and then counterclockwise, to increase circulation to your hips, pelvis and lower back," Plasker said.

There are many books and magazine articles that teach simple exercises for office workers.

• Schedule a meeting on the move. Meet a client or co-worker on a hiking trail or walk around the building.

"You can tape the discussion and e-mail key points after the meeting," Plasker said. "It's fun and opens up the mind to creative new ideas."

• Find ways to work out when traveling. "Ask what a hotel's workout room is like before booking a reservation," Plasker said.

• Don't slouch or be a crooked sitter. "A crooked sitter sits on his or her foot. This keeps the body in a twisted position and leads to stiff muscles, pressure on the nerves and long-term spinal problems," Plasker said.

• Make sure your chair, desk and computer are at the right height so that you can sit with your feet flat on the floor, your thighs parallel to the floor and your shoulders back. "When you slouch or slump, your whole skeletal structure breaks down and is out of alignment," said Mike Epstein, co-owner of the Gold's Gym in Paramus, N.J.

• Stand to surf. Tilt your monitor up, or put your computer on a higher level so that you can stand to search the Internet.

• Avoid making the bike machine your entire workout at the gym, Plasker said. You'll just be sitting again. Instead, use the treadmill, stair climber or elliptical machine for cardio and endurance training. Try weights, yoga or Pilates for strength training.

• Make healthy food choices. "It's better to eat five to six smaller meals each day than two or three large meals. This helps keep your blood-sugar level up, which, in turn, helps keep an even stream of energy all day," Garner said.

— Laura Raines