Why Sitting is Bad For You

It's been awhile, but I thought I'd give this blog a go again. Today's topic...the sedentary lifestyle (I would like to give credit to A.J. Jacobs Drop Dead Healthy for some of the facts and info below).

My job, and a lot of jobs out there, require us to sit for 8 or more hours a day. If you didn't know, sitting is not the body's natural position...standing is. Sitting, in actuality, is bad for you. Some people are even saying it's the new smoking. Sitting can put you at risk of heart disease, obesity, and some types of cancer.

Like I said before, we weren't meant to sit. We started as hunters and gatherers, always on the move, and that continued for the most part to our grandparents' generation, when they'd be walking 10-12 miles a day, up hill, both ways, according to their stories. But we've become a sedentary society. TV shows, movies, and video games are the rage these days, and we sit for those. For office jobs, we're sitting for most of our shift. It's a scary thought to think about how much of us sit throughout the day.

Are you safe if you go to the gym once a day for an hour and then sit the rest of the day? According to studies, no.

What's the problem with sitting? The first obvious thing is that we burn less calories. Secondly, when we are marathon sitting, it can change our body's metabolism. According to author and biologist Olivia Judson, a molecule called lipase is crucial to helping muscles absorbing fat. When we sit, we don't produce lipase, which allows fat to deposit itself as body fat or clog arteries.

Here's another study:

- The University of South Carolina compared heart problems of men who sat more than 23 hours a week and men who sat less than 11 hours per week. The men who sat for more than 23 hours a week had a 64% higher chance of fata heart disease. It's important to note that some of the men who sat for 23+ hours did go to the gym.

So how do we combat sitting? Movement. If you started reading this blog and stood up to read the rest, you're on the right course. I am just as guilty of sitting too much, as my work requires it, with office work, and driving. At work now, I try to stand as often as possible. Get a few books, prop your laptop or keyboard on it, and stand while typing. You'll find that standing takes a lot of work, but your muscles in your legs are working, your back's working, and your shoulders are working, which burns calories and energy. If you have to sit, at least get up every 20 minutes and walk around, or fidget...tapping your foot while sitting still can help with cardiovascular fitness.

Some other tips:

- Walk whenever you can. Avoid the elevators, escalators, and those moving tracks at the airport.

- Walking up hills and stairs is better than just flat surfaces.

- Stand or squat when eating lunch (this could be awkward)

- Have a treadmill and are on your laptop a lot at home? Move your laptop to the treadmill and type while walking. They actually make treadmills for this, but they're very expensive.

- Like TV and video games? Stand while watching/playing. Studies show this actually gets you mote into and excited about the games.

After reading this blog, I don't want you to freak out and think about how you sat more than 23 hours last week. Just make a conscious effort to sit less and move more going forward and you will be fine.

One last bonus tip: Don't sit for long on the toilet...this has been known to cause hemorrhoids due to putting more strain on your bowels. The natural position for the human species to take a #2 is below:

 

 

It does take a little balance, but in actuality, feels more natural and you can go a lot quicker. They actually sell platforms online that can help you squat. They're called "Nature's Platforms". Haha.