|
I was using stumbleupon.com the other day (which is admittedly an internet black hole that makes you sit and stare at a computer screen for hours) and I found this really interesting and slightly disheartening infographic about the dangers of sitting all day. I'm sure many of you spend hours sitting at your desk each day; I am right now. And while you may try to compensate by exercising before, during or after work…it might not be enough to stop the detrimental effects sitting could have on the inside and outside of your body.
The Dangers
A number of studies have looked at what hours of sitting does to the physiology and anatomy of a person. The high volume of time people spend doing non-exercising activities (sitting) is called sedentary behaviors. A recent study monitored people's activity level with an accelerometer. Results showed that adults, on average, spend more than half of their waking hours in sedentary activities (primarily prolonged sitting) and the remainder of time is spent in light intensity physical activity (LIPA- standing with some ambulation), with only 4-5% of the day spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity. This allocation of time is causing health issues in a growing percentage of the population.
Inside Issues
Sitting for long periods of time increases your chance for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, breast and colon cancer, as well as obesity. The more hours a day you spend sitting the greater your likelihood of dying an earlier death, regardless of how much you exercise or how lean you are. A 2010 study in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that insulin sensitivity dropped by 17% in healthy men who reduced their footsteps over 2 weeks putting them at a higher risk for diabetes. Sitting is also an independent risk factor in heart disease, increasing a person's chance of having a heart attack by 54% regardless of weight, exercise or smoking habits. And the worst part is that even if you are active for the recommended 30 minutes a day, you are still at risk.
Outside Issues
Think of how you're sitting in your chair right now. You are putting strain you on hips, spine, and shoulders, and you're probably not moving too much. There is no denying the trend of an increase in desk jobs and an increase in obesity in the United States. While the amount of time people spent exercising remained the same between 1980 and 2000, the amount of time people spent sitting increased by 8% and the obesity rate more than doubled from 13-35% during that time. It's of no surprise then that people gain 16 pounds, on average, within 8 months of starting sedentary office work. The reason that this weight gain is so common is because an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase (LPL), responsible for breaking down fat in the bloodstream to use as energy, is activated by muscle movement. When leg muscles aren't being used, the fat is stored instead of burned as fuel.
The danger of sitting all day is also in what it does to your muscles and posture. Your muscles adapt to what you do most often; if you lift weights every day you get stronger, if you sit every day you get good at sitting. The reason for this is that fascia (the connective tissue covering your muscles) tends to "set" in the position your muscles are in most often. When you're sitting at a desk your hip flexors are shortened, and your shoulders and upper back are slumped. Eventually this will be your muscles normal position.
Perhaps the scariest symptom of sitting too long is your glute muscles will "forget" how to fire. This means that your biggest muscle group will not be burning calories or supporting your spine, so your gut will protrude. To put it plainly, you will be gaining weight and have a hard time hiding it.
Take a Stand
 "People tend to view physical activity on a single continuum," says Marc Hamilton, Ph.D. "On the far side, you have a person who exercises a lot; on the other, a person who doesn't exercise at all. However, they're not necessarily polar opposites." Dr. Hamilton, a physiologist and professor at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, would classify a man who worked (i.e. sat) for 60 hours a week and worked out for 45 minutes 5 days a week as sedentary…otherwise known as an "exercising couch potato."
There needs to be an understanding in the difference between exercising and being active. Just because you hit the gym everyday does not mean you are leading an overall active life if you spend the rest of the day sitting. This may sound counterintuitive but a 2007 report from the University of Missouri showed that people with the highest levels of non-exercise activity (but little to no actual 'exercise') burned significantly more calories a week than those who ran 35 miles a week but accumulated only a moderate amount of non-exercise activity. Even the little things, like standing more, can help. Below is a list of easy things to do at work to reduce the amount of time you spend sitting. Image Credit: trustedhealthproducts.com
The guy in this video has it right.
The Next Step
An innovative approach is needed to understand and influence sedentary behavior as well as increase physical activity. This means helping people understand where sedentary behaviors are a part of their life such as at work, in transport, at home and during leisure activities. The most important thing you can do is to look for excuses to move. Use or suggest a standing work station at your office or do toe lifts while on the phone with a client. The little things do add up. I don't know about you, but I've already moved over to the standing workstation while writing.
Just don't let it go too far. Image Credit
Resources
Too much sitting: a novel and important predictor of chronic disease risk?
Why your desk job is slowly killing you
Sit All Day? 6 Ways To Stay Active At Your Desk
| 
Re: Why Sitting is Killing You
"Almost" Good Answers: