IS SITTING REALLY THE NEW SMOKING?
Simply put, NO!
Smoking is terrible for you and while titles like the one above might catch your attention, they are pretty misleading based on the research.
Well, now that we have answered that question, let's take a few minutes to examine why some people claim sitting is as bad as smoking and what we can do to combat these issues.
So first, if you are sitting down while reading this, you might want to stand up. And no, not because the information isn’t shocking enough that you need to be seated, it is just more likely you have been sitting for a while and your body and mind could use the break (and no, not a smoke break either).
Currently, research (based on objective measurements of activity) suggests that adults spend roughly 60% of their time doing sedentary activities – activities that typically involve sitting or lying down (1). And while you might be thinking there is no way you are that “sedentary” because you exercise multiple times a week or you go for regular walks, if you look at the numbers, it is actually not that hard to be sedentary more than 60% of your week. For example, assuming you sleep 8 hours a night (which you should) and then you work a 9-5 job, that is primarily at a desk, you have already been laying or sitting 57% of the hours in the week. Then, if you are like me and enjoy a good movie here and there or a good sports game, the hours that we are sitting or lying down can quickly add up.
OKAY, SO I MIGHT BE A LITTLE MORE SEDENTARY THAN I REALIZED, WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Well, research is clear in that increased sitting time is associated with greater risks of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, anxiety/depression, weight control, and most importantly, DEATH (2,3). Moreover, it is linked to increased rates of anxiety, depression, and general mental health (4). And what is most crazy in my opinion is that we have known this for a LONG time and yet sedentary behaviors continue to be on the rise. Back in the 1950s, researchers started studying bus drivers (people who sit and drive a bus for 8 hours) and bus conductors (people who stand but still ride the same bus for 8 hours). And what they found was that the main difference between these groups of people was simply the act of sitting and because of this constant sitting, bus drivers were 2x more likely to have a heart attack compared to the conductors (5). Crazy!
And so, if you find yourself at work spending much more of your time sitting, like those bus drivers, then just know your risk factors are also the same.
OKAY, SO I SIT A LOT, BUT I ALSO EXERCISE A LOT, SO I PROBABLY DON’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT SITTING AS MUCH, RIGHT?
Yes and no. While some people might go as far to say that sitting negates the benefits of physical activity (PA), the research is not quite there yet. Assuming you are meeting PA guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week, then you are doing great so keep it up. However, just as you might have been surprised that you spend so much of your week either sitting or lying, you might as be shocked that as a population, we are terrible are regularly meeting these guidelines. Currently, upwards of 30-35% of people are not meeting activity guidelines (6). So, look to the cubical to your left and then to your right, based on the numbers, at least one of you is likely failing to meet PA guidelines whether you realize it or not. Moreover, while some people might be hitting the 150 minutes per week target, they are actually overestimating their intensity (I mean come on, we often think we are working much harder than we actually are) and so we are still falling short of the intensity recommendations.
So, rather than worrying about out exercising or out moving your sedentary behaviors, it might be easier to focus on just breaking up your sitting time to make sure we are reducing those negative health risks.
WHERE SHOULD I EVEN START?
Okay, so I might be sitting more than I realize. And now I know sitting is bad. And I also know moving is good, but I might not be doing enough, so where should I even start?
Drumroll please………..
Step 1: Sit Less!
I know, mind blown right?!? But for real, even just breaking up sitting time every hour has been linked to decreased risk of diabetes and other cardiometabolic complications. So once an hour, stand up, walk to the water fountain, walk to the bathroom, or just even walk in place. Simple but effective.
Step 2: Move more!
Again, shocking right?!? Well just as with everything in life, overload and progression is key. So if you struggle to get 3,000 steps/day or your daily activity for the month might add up to 150 minutes, then the next week just aim for 3,500 steps a day. Getting healthy takes time and so progression doesn’t have to be fast. Every week or so try to walk 500 extra steps. Even if you are currently only getting 3,000/day, within 15 weeks you could be up to 10k!
Step 3: Some is always better than none!
While yes we hope you can eventually hit 10k steps per day for all the health benefits (insert stepping email here). Yes we hope you can hit 150 minutes/week for even more amazing health benefits. Research is clear that doing something is always better than nothing. Even just getting a little more fit and going from the lowest fitness category to the second lowest substantially reduces risk of early mortality (7)!
So simply put, if you want to make a change but feel overwhelmed, just stand up and go move more then you have been!
REFERENCES
Mitchell, J. A., & Byun, W. (2014). Sedentary behavior and health outcomes in children and adolescents. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 8(3), 173-199.
Van Uffelen, J. G., Watson, M. J., Dobson, A. J., & Brown, W. J. (2010). Sitting time is associated with weight, but not with weight gain in mid‐aged Australian women. Obesity, 18(9), 1788-1794.
Mitchell, J. A., & Byun, W. (2014). Sedentary behavior and health outcomes in children and adolescents. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 8(3), 173-199.
Teychenne, M., Ball, K., & Salmon, J. (2010). Sedentary behavior and depression among adults: a review. International journal of behavioral medicine, 17(4), 246-254.
Morris, J. N., Heady, J. A., Raffle, P. A. B., Roberts, C. G., & Parks, J. W. (1953). Coronary heart-disease and physical activity of work. The lancet, 262(6796), 1111-1120.
Chenoweth, D., & Leutzinger, J. (2006). The Economic Cost of Physical Inactivity and Excess Weight in American Adults. Journal of Physical Activity & Health, 3(2).
Blair, S. N., Kohl, H. W., Paffenbarger, R. S., Clark, D. G., Cooper, K. H., & Gibbons, L. W. (1989). Physical fitness and all-cause mortality: a prospective study of healthy men and women. Jama, 262(17), 2395-2401.
UNTIL NEXT TIME - COACH BRAD