“Sitting is the new smoking,” they say. The average American spends 9.3 hours a day sitting, which is about two hours longer than the average time we spend sleeping each night. But really, just how bad is sitting for your health? We’ll give you a better idea:
- The lack of physical activity that comes with sitting for long periods of time is directly tied to 6% of the impact of heart diseases. It’s linked to high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol.
- Standing, moving, and even sitting up all involve the use of core muscles. But in a chair, they go unused, most drastically when you’re slumped. This causes your abdominal muscles to weaken which could result in an exaggeration of your spine’s natural arch.
- Poor blood circulation is caused by sitting for long stints of time, which allows fluid to build up in your legs. This could allow dangerous blood clots to form.
- Activities that force you to be weight bearing stimulate the hips and lower body bones, helping them grow stronger and thicker. So on the reverse side of this, sitting increases chances for osteoporosis.
- When we move, our back moves. This allows the vertebrae to expand and contract while soaking up important nutrients, where sitting smashes these discs together unevenly. Collagen forms around the vertebrae, as well as supporting ligaments and tendons which make the back inflexible.
- Similarly with your neck, unnatural tilts and leans while straining to look at a computer screen can cause permanent imbalances
- Your brain is affected too. Muscle motion enables fresh blood and oxygen to move through the brain and trigger the release of numerous beneficial chemicals. Without movement, everything slows.
40, 50, 60%: the research all seems to have different rates of increased risk, but one thing remains consistent throughout: adults who sat for 8-10 hours a day have a much higher risk of disease and even early death.
So after all this bad news, how can we save ourselves from these dangers? We all have to go to work, and we will all find times where sitting is inevitable, but there are things that we can control to help do things a little differently.
Focus on your posture. When you are sitting, your posture is very important. To prevent some of the diseases associated with improper positions of the neck and back, you have to be conscious of how you are sitting throughout the day. Sit up straight, keep shoulders relaxed, elbows bent at 90 degrees, and feet flat. One way to ensure you’re sitting correctly is to make sure you have the right chair. Ergonomic chairs will adjust and mold to the natural curves and shapes of each unique body. It’s really important to make sure the chair you have is a good fit for you.
Try to break up sitting whenever possible. Whether its taking a phone call outside or having a walking meeting, get moving whenever the chance allows it. Stand up and work at times or even just venture to the water cooler or a coworker’s desk to break up the time spent sitting. Even for a short time, this is very important to your muscles and blood flow.
Do less sitting outside of work. A lot of adults actually do most of their sitting outside of work; watching TV, reading, eating. It’s nice to relax after work, but make sure you have a good balance between sitting and moving around once you leave the office. You don’t have to be an exercise nut to find some fun hobbies and activities that help you be a little more active.
Explore the various exercise workplace solutions. Growing in popularity, it’s not uncommon to enter an office with a treadmill desk or bike. These pieces of office equipment allow you to continue working on your computer or laptop while logging miles. A casual stroll for a couple hours a day can add up to over 8 miles of walking, all without interrupting your workday. Even in the stationary bike where you’re still seated, you’re working your leg muscles to help circulation, posture, core strength and cardio. This furniture has enabled the integration of the gym and the workplace in a simple, subtle way that doesn’t detract from your daily work routine or the routine of others around you. No matter what kind of work area you have, these desks maximize your space, providing you the ability to be active and get work done all in the same space. Call us at 610.286.1766 to find out more about these workspace solutions by Lifespan Fitness.
Sources: The Health Hazards of Sitting, By Bonnie Berkowitz and Patterson Clark, Published: Jan. 20, 2014
http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/national/the-health-hazards-of-sitting/750/
Sitting is the Smoking of Our Generation, by Nilofer Merchant, Published: Jan. 8, 2013
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nilofer-merchant/sitting-is-the-smoking-of-our-generation_b_2506748.html
Why Prolonged Sitting is Bad for Your Health, by Alexandra Sifferlin, Published: March 28, 2012
Why Prolonged Sitting Is Bad for Your Health