There’s no doubt that sitting is an undisputable health problem with about 10,000 publications showing that prolonged sitting is harmful to your health and has been linked to all-cause mortali- ty. As humans we were never designed to sit in one position for extended periods of time, yet here we are today, sitting for breakfast, on our drive into work, at work, our drive back home, for dinner and finally sitting for a
relaxing time in front of the TV,
reading or on our phones. It
adds up! Prolonged sitting promotes chronic diseases, including weight gain, obesity, Type 2 diabe- tes, muscle wasting, poor heart health, depression, dementia, and multiple cancers to name a few. In fact a new study where researchers assessed nearly 1,500 women found those who sat most of the day and had little exercise exhibited cells that were biologically eight years older than the woman’s actual age.
Prolonged sitting has also been associated with poor executive function, memory, attention and visual spatial skills which are important, cognitive aspects of work and life in general.
Good news! Within 90 seconds of rising from sitting, the muscular and cellular systems that pro- cess blood sugar, triglycerides and cholesterol — which are mediated by insulin — are activated. All of these molecular effects are activated simply by getting up and moving.
Even if you get 2½ hours of moderate to vigorous exercise each week, there’s still a dose- asso- ciation response to sitting. This means the more you sit the greater your waist circumference, sys- tolic blood pressure and glucose levels — a phenomenon referred to as “active couch potato syndrome”.
So what do we do?
Ideally, limit sitting to three hours or less. I know this may be difficult if not impossible for most but at the bare minimum, avoid sitting for more than 50 minutes out of every hour; in other words, every 50 minutes, get up and move around for 10 minutes. By getting up and moving around for at least 5-10 minutes every hour, you can improve circulation, reduce muscle stiffness, and lower the risk of chronic health conditions. So, set a timer, use a standing desk, take the stairs, stretch, and walk during your breaks to keep your body active and healthy.
Finally, remember sitting is a significant postural stress so, maintain your exercises in regular adjustments to keep your brain and nervous system functioning at their best!
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