Is Sitting Worse Than Smoking?
In today's world, many of us sit for hours on end in front of our computers or TVs. This sedentary lifestyle can be detrimental to our health. Sure, sitting for a long time is bad. But it can’t be worse than smoking?
Mayo Clinic’s findings of a dozen studies shows that in fact this may be the case. “Sitting time and activity levels found in those who sat for more than 8 hours a day with no physical activity had a risk of dying similar to the risks of dying posed by obesity and smoking.” I don’t know about you but when I read that, my stomach churned a bit.
I feel like sitting for 8 hours a day would be on the low side for me. As for the average office worker, they can sit up to 15 hours a day!
Now of course there is one obvious thing to point out about the findings from Mayo Clinic and that is the part of sitting “with no physical activity.” Most likely if you’re reading this you’re not a couch potato. However, even a period of dormancy where you are not moving can pool blood in your legs and have a negative impact on your body.
The good news is that there are strategies we can implement to help reduce the risks posed by sitting for long periods of time. In this blog post, we'll discuss the risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle and provide some tips on how to combat them.
The Health Risks Associated with Sitting Too Much
A sedentary lifestyle increases your risk for numerous health issues, including brain troubles and memory loss, neck, shoulder and back pain, abdominal fat accumulation and muscle deterioration, hip flexors and weak glutes, circulatory problems, osteoporosis and bone density loss. Let's take a closer look at each one.
Brain Troubles
When you sit too much, your brain doesn't get enough oxygen or stimulation it needs to work properly. This can lead to memory loss, poor decision-making skills, depression and anxiety.
Neck, Shoulder and Back Pain
Sitting in one position for too long can cause your spine to curve unnaturally which results in neck pain as well as shoulder and back pain. Also, many times the activities in which you’re engaging in such as typing on a computer, scrolling through social media or watching TV creates a forward posture which leads to muscle imbalance.
Abdominal Fat Accumulation
Fat, especially abdominal fat, is bad. Duh. But did you know that visceral fat is the worst kind of fat and has more of a tendency to cling around your midsection? Let me step back a second and define visceral fat. As we outline in this article, Burn Your Belly Fat basically two types of fat.
As we discuss in Burn Your Belly Fat, “Subcutaneous fat which lies between the skin and abdominal wall. And the second type of fat is much more dangerous- visceral fat. This fat mainly sits around your stomach area and surrounds your organs. This fat sits around your abdomen and presses against your internal organs.” So the more you sit, the higher the risk of obesity and having this dangerous form of fat.
Muscle Deterioration
Use it or lose it. If you don’t get up and move your body, your muscles will start to atrophy. Don’t let them dwindle away!
Hip Flexors and Weak Glutes
When you sit for extended periods of time without getting up often enough, your hip flexors become tight while your glutes weaken from lack of use. This is a perfect storm for injury.
Circulatory Problems and Swollen Legs/Varicose Veins
When you don't move regularly throughout the day blood circulation slows down resulting in swollen legs/varicose veins as well as other circulatory problems such as high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol levels.
Osteoporosis and Bone Density Loss
As you age if you do not move regularly then bones can become more brittle leading to osteoporosis or weakened bones due to lack of exercise and movement.
The Hustle and Grind Lifestyle May Be Slowly Killing You
“Most people sacrifice their health to gain wealth, then spend their wealth to regain their health.”
I am a “hustle and grind” type of person. It’s in my DNA to work. When I have an idea, I run with it. I’m like a dog with a bone and won’t put it down until I’ve dug a hole to put it in. I can sit literally for hours on end in front of a computer working, without taking a break.
In the past, this was something I was proud about. It was a badge of honor I would wear as a sign that I was a hard worker. Knowing what I know now, that badge has become more of a mark of shame. Not in the sense that I shouldn’t be a hard worker, that is something I will always be proud of. Rather, in sacrificing my health in pursuit of this distinction.
Speaking of pursuit, have you ever watched the movie, “The Pursuit of Happyness”, starring Will Smith? If you have, humor me as I do a brief recap. In this movie about a true story, Will Smith depicts the real life man, Chris Gardner, who is a salesman turned homeless man. After he’s down on his luck unsuccessfully following his pursuit of a better life for his family, Gardner lands a non-paid internship at a financial firm. He is touted as one of the hardest working guys, making an exponential amount more sales calls than his colleagues. He would say how he didn’t drink any water because that would mean he had to stop to go to the bathroom.
As someone who was scratching and clawing his way up from the bottom, no doubt it is inspiring and shows pure grit. Obviously, in terms of what we know about sitting this is not good. And for all we know he could have been making his calls standing. However, I wonder if his impact would have been different, possibly better, if his mentality was to take breaks more frequently. If you know the rest of the movie, he clearly is super successful. But is that the path that all us with a “hustle and grind” personality should take?
I would argue no and that’s why I have recently adjusted this mentality. I have since implemented the Pomodoro technique to my life and started doing the under 3 minute posture exercises with Tension Toner during my short breaks. This has reenergized me and has increased my productivity.
I used to have a boss back in the day that would say, “You have to slow down to speed up.” Basically meaning that if you want to make progress, you can’t rush the process. And in this case it applies too. If you want to make more progress, you need to take a break. This technique has been around for decades to improve focus and productivity. Don’t shrug this off because your health depends on it.
Don’t Be a Sitting Duck for Early Death
I’d love to say that bad things will never happen, but unfortunately that is not life. But why put yourself at an increased risk for bad things. If there is something you can do right now to make a big improvement over your life right now, it is to not sit so much.
As I mentioned, the Pomodoro technique is worth reading about. Some other ways you can combat a sedentary lifestyle is to stick to an exercise routine and track your progress. We have you covered with our Tension Trio program.
Next, go for a walk after lunch or do one of our quick 5 minute, sweat free workouts just to get your blood flowing. Buy a desk that can convert into both a sitting or standing desk. Each hour, alternate between sitting and standing.
The Benefits of Not Sitting Too Long
The benefits of not sitting too long are too important to ignore.
Living an active lifestyle has countless benefits ranging from improved mental clarity and productivity levels to reduced risk factors associated with chronic diseases like diabetes heart disease stroke cancer etc.
It is important that we find ways to incorporate physical activity into our daily lives Whether that means taking regular walks using standing desks joining local sports teams or finding creative at-home workouts routines, every little bit counts. So don’t wait any longer start being more active today!
