I just heard a startling statistic the other night. Are you ready for it? The average person sits for 80% of their day. So let’s account for the 6-8 hours of sleep time (on average) each night. That leaves us with 16-18 waking hours each day. If we do the math, the average person then sits for a whopping 12-14 hours per day! At first this seems like a lot, but when you stop and think about it, this may not be too far off. An example of a typical day for those with young families may sound something like this. We may sit to eat our breakfast and drink our morning cup of joe. We then get in our vehicles and drive the kids to school (sitting), drive ourselves to work (sitting) and arrive at work to sit at our desk for 7- 8 hours while taking a few intermittent breaks. We then get back in our car (sitting) and pick kids up from school or daycare and drive (sitting) them all over town for practices and games. We sit while waiting for them at practice or cheering them on from the bleachers/field. We sit to drive home and after a long day we sit down to eat supper. After getting the kids to bed, we finally get the chance to sit on the couch and relax before heading to bed. Sound familiar? Or maybe you are retired and find yourself sitting for more of your waking hours than you would like to admit to. I have talked with many patients who are in their retirement years and many will tell me they find themselves sitting for more hours than they would like to because the couch seems so much more appealing!
According to the Mayo clinic website, research has linked sitting for prolonged periods with a number of health concerns.” Some of these health concerns include: high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, obesity and elevated cholesterol. Sitting too much can also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Whether we are sitting behind a desk, behind the wheel or in front of a screen, the long term effects can be harmful to our health, arguably as much as smoking.
According to the Mayo Clinic, “Researchers analyzed 13 studies of sitting time and activity levels. They found that those who sat for more than eight hours a day with no physical activity had a risk of dying similar to that posed by obesity and smoking. However, unlike some other studies, this analysis of data from more than 1 million people found that 60 to 75 minutes of moderately intense physical activity a day countered the effects of too much sitting. Other studies have found that for people who are most active, sitting time contributes little to their risk of death.” Less sitting and more moving is the answer!
Check out these 4 tips below to help minimize sitting and increase movement throughout the day:
- Stand instead of sit. Get a standing desk for work or home (if you work remotely) to minimize the time you spend sitting for work each day. Stand while watching your kids at practice or while watching sporting events.
- Take a 10-15 minute walk after eating lunch each day to break up periods of sitting and to help lower blood sugar.
- Take frequent breaks (every 30 minutes) to stand up and walk around or stretch for a few minutes throughout the day.
- Use a walking pad (under desk treadmill) to walk at slow speeds while you work to keep your body in motion.
