Even if you get the generally accepted minimum of 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week, you may have similar risk of disease as those who sit all day and DON’T exercise.

You might do CrossFit 3-4 days a week, but the rest of the week, you sit 7-9 hours per day. Same risk.

You walk your dog religiously every morning for 30 mins, then you go to work and sit for the next 7-9 hours. Same risk.

Doing exercise does not just “undo” the sitting you’ve done all day.

Most of us sit all day. We sit in the car on our commute to work. We get to work and sit at our desks. Then we finish work and get back in the car. Once we get home, we eat dinner and sit on the couch.

Sitting for hours at a time has become typical in the developed world and over a similar period, so has chronic disease—obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes to name few.

Staggering statistics:

  • Over 66% of the mid-age population in developed countries is now overweight or obese (Owen)
  • 6% of children are obese (Owen)
  • Adults on average spend 7.3-9.3 hours/day sedentary aka sitting

Prolonged sitting is associated with:

  • cardiovascular disease
  • type-2 diabetes
  • premature death
  • not to mention the direct effects of neck and back pain

Prolonged sitting is associated with physiological and biochemical changes:

  • Decreased HDL (protective cholesterol) production
  • Decreased triglyceride (fat) uptake by muscle (more stays in your blood)
  • Decreased glucose uptake by muscle (more glucose in your blood)

The key here is that the risk is increased with prolonged, continuous sitting, even if you exercise regularly.

Here are really simple steps to reduce prolonged sitting:

  • Stand up every 30 mins. Set a timer on your computer or phone, and walk around. Do 10-20 body-weight squats.
  • Increase light activity and decrease your sitting time – this could mean vacuuming, walking down the hall, walking up the stairs, walk to a co-worker’s desk to talk about a project
  • Use a standing desk
  • Buy a step counter and get your 10,000 steps per day
  • Walk while you are on the phone for meetings, or better yet, walk with the person

Research shows that prolonged sitting is risk factor completely independent from the benefits of exercising regularly. You can’t undo a lot of sitting with an intense workout 3-4 times per week.

In short: “Stand up, sit less, move more, more often.”

Sources:

Owen, N., et al. “The Population-Health Science of Sedentary Behavior.” Exercise Sport Science Review (2012): Vol 38, Issue 3 pp 105-113. Web.

Dunstan, David W, et al. “Too much sitting–a health hazard.” Diabetes research and clinical practice (2012): Vol 97, Issue 3, pp 368-376. Web.

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