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 Did you know that sitting is allegedly as dangerous as smoking? Well I didn’t, and I have to admit, it has been all that I have been thinking about for the last 48 hours. Well that, and the state of the nation. (I am remarkably well-rounded.)
The concept that sitting for too long is bad for us is not new. Several studies have cropped up, particularly in recent years. One of the most recent being a book by Dr. James Levine entitled Get Up.
According to Levine, not only is sitting more dangerous than smoking, it is also more dangerous than parachuting and it kills more people than HIV. All of this is bad news for Americans who spend a great deal of time seated.
Based on Levine’s research, Americans spend 7.7 hours a day sitting (a combination of work-related sitting, commute-sitting, and recreational sitting). For people between the ages of 60 and 69, that number is higher with 8.5 hours of sitting.
Sitting for long periods has been linked to shorter lifespans, increased risk of dementia, stroke, heart attack, diabetes, depression, and cancer.
A similar study from 2011 also alleges that for every one hour spent sitting and watching television, 22 minutes are deducted from our lives.
And scarier still, another study revealed that prolonged sitting might alter the shape of one’s behind. A condition cheekily referred to as “office ass” is a phenomenon where prolonged sitting makes your tush resemble a pancake because of a breakdown in glute muscles.
So, while the obvious solution seems to be a simple one (stop sitting down!), that isn’t always possible. Especially for people who are required to sit for work.
A few practical solutions for sitting too much in the workplace: take breaks to walk around periodically; when you must communicate with a coworker, walk to their desk instead of sending an email; park farther away from the entrance to your office; create walking meetings; pace during conference calls; take the stairs, etc.
Employers are becoming more sensitive to the health benefits of offering standing workstations and treadmill desks as well, with the benefits of both often overlapping.
Standing desks have been credited with resolving back pain, increasing energy levels, and improving mood, while treadmill desks are credited with reducing stress, promoting strong bones, increasing creativity, lowering blood pressure, maintaining healthy body weight, increasing energy levels, and improving mood.
Unfortunately, the costs associated with both workstations are greater than the cost of a seated workstation. Other possible drawbacks: Particularly for the treadmill desk, the motion might be a distraction to other co-workers and could also challenge an employee’s ability to type accurately. Additionally, an employee might exhaust any available cognitive resources thinking instead of keeping balance on the treadmill.
For standing workstations, there are fewer drawbacks beyond tiring an employee more quickly and the expense.
So the last 48 hours have returned very little in terms of offering a comforting solution to my seating obsession. While I am still concerned with being killed by sitting, I am even more concerned with face-planting off an office treadmill in front of coworkers.
Do you sit for long periods? Have you tried an alternative workstation?
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