That Office Chair Can Kill

As if you didn't have enough to worry about, a report released last week links sitting down for long periods at work -- i.e. in front of a computer -- to an increased risk of death from blood clots.

Thirty-four percent of all patients suffering from deep-vein thrombosis, the potentially fatal condition of blood clots formed after long periods of inactivity, reported having sat for hours at a time at work, according to the Medical Research Institute in New Zealand. Some of the patients reported having sat for 12 to 14 hours in one day.

"The 34 percent finding is far higher than the 1.4 percent of blood-clot patients who recently traveled on long-haul flights, and the study showed a clear link between travel and work-related thrombosis," according to an article posted on Wired News.

An organization called the "Coalition to Prevent Deep-Vein Thrombosis" provides a self-assessment risk tool to measure your risk for DVT. The National Institutes of Health's MedLinePlus advises to "minimize immobility of the legs" to lower your risk.