Thanks to our increasingly sedentary lifestyles, sitting has joined the list of unhealthy “activities” alongside smoking, drinking, lack of exercise and junk food. But is this just the latest health scare or is there more to sitting than initially appears?
Look at the modern lifestyle and there’s no doubt that we’re much less active than our Parents, let alone Grandparents. Fuelled by the emphasis on labour saving devices and love of the “one eyed monster” in the living room – and many other places too (!) – much of the day is spent sitting.
And this doesn’t just apply to those at work, but children at school too, where much of the day is spent sitting in the classroom.
Interestingly, when we mention this to people, they always seem to focus on one particular aspect of their lives; the time spent at work – school or college – rather than their lives as a whole. While this may account for quite a chunk of time each day, it’s not the complete picture. What about all those other times during the day we’re sat down? Travelling. Eating. Relaxing at home, whether in front of the “one eyed monster” or on our favourite device.
Once you start to tot it all up, you’ll be surprised by just how much time it accounts for every day. And, if you want a figure to get you thinking, it’s estimated that the average American spends around 13 hours a day sitting. Once you’ve factored in 8 hours sleeping, that leaves very little for any sort of activity. So, if you think this doesn’t apply to you, think again!
And here’s something else that may surprise you. It’s now being suggested that prolonged sitting is on a par with smoking – whether conventional cigarettes or e cigarettes – as far as the risk it poses to health. And you may like to read that sentence over several times and let it sink in…
Why is this?
Well, as often is the case, one small change leads to many others. These then gain momentum leading to unanticipated effects, both in the short and long term.
To start with, sitting requires much less energy. It’s estimated that calorie burning drops by about 30% when we’re sitting – and that’s without taking into account the additional moving about which tends to occur when we stand doing tasks.
As less energy is needed, the metabolic rate drops which, in turn, raises blood sugar while reducing enzyme and “good” cholesterol levels. Research has found that it also reduces the effectiveness of insulin which, long term, has been linked with an increased risk of Diabetes.
Longer term, sitting has been linked to an increased risk of many chronic diseases including Heart Disease and Obesity. And here’s one you may not have thought of, reduced bone density, such as Osteoporosis. Again, the reason is quite simple. Over the long term the amount – and type – of day to day activity influences bone structure and density.
At the same time – however good your posture is to start with – the lower Back muscles gradually become less active. You start to slump and your internal organs are displaced, so function less efficiently than when you’re standing. To compensate for this, the ligaments and discs have to work harder.
Sit in the same position for any length of time and the abdominals become weaker, increasing pressure on the lower Back. This, together with the shortening of the Hip flexor muscles – deep internal muscles running obliquely from the lower Back and down into the Groin – play a major part in lower Back and Hip pain. More often than not, Clients with lower back pain will have been sitting for long periods of time and this includes those who do a lot of driving.
Sitting can also play a part in Sciatica – nerve pain originating in the lower Back and travelling down the back of the Leg – as electrical activity in the Legs is reduced by long periods of sitting.
As already mentioned, lack of movement and exercise is, not surprisingly, also linked to an increased risk of Cardiovascular Disease. Interestingly, research at Leicester University found that simply increasing the amount of exercise, without reducing the time sitting, didn’t seem to reduce the risk. Sitting for 6 hours or more a day was found to increase the risk of dying within 15 years by 40%, compared with someone who sat for fewer than three, even if you take regular exercise.
So, there are no prizes for guessing where we’re going with this. And, “no” we’re not suggesting you adopt an intensive – and possible time consuming – exercise schedule on top of everything else you do every day. Phew!
The first and most important thing is to be aware of just how much time you’re sitting each day. And this, on its own, may be the wake up call you need. As with all routines and habits, it becomes invisible to us, so we’re not aware of it anymore.
Just as it’s important for our Eyes to take time away from computer screens regularly during the day, so is getting up and getting active. Multiple benefits from one thing, hurrah!
Walking to get something, to talk to someone. Doing a task standing that would otherwise be done sitting. We get so used to doing things in one particular way, ie, sitting that we forget there are many ways to do the same thing. It’s just a case of having to remember to do so…
The rule of thumb is to avoid sitting for more than 50 minutes in an hour and, if you really do have to sit for a longer period of time, to limit this to a maximum of 3 hours.
And let’s quickly mention standing desks here. While there are benefits to them, in terms of avoiding sitting down for long periods of time, there are other things to be aware of too. The obvious one is posture, in other words making sure you maintain a good posture while using them. Not “resting” one leg or leaning on the desk. Bad posture is bad posture, regardless of whether you’re sitting or standing. The other is that prolonged periods of standing still has its downside. Our bodies were designed to be active, not to be in a fixed posture for long periods of time. For many people using them as an alternative to sitting for short periods of time works best, rather than all the time.
Which brings us on to the best antidote for sitting. To be naturally active throughout the day. Walking rather than parking as close to our destination as we can (!). Using the stairs rather than the lift. Relying a little less on all those labour saving devices, many of which don’t make our lives any easier. We’re sure you’ve come across plenty of these (!).
And, finally, that brings us on to taking regular exercise. We all have our own unique reasons why we don’t take regular exercise. Many of these date back to the dreaded sports lessons at school or seeing it as something we have to do, rather than want to do.
As we’ve said before, it’s simply a case of finding an exercise we enjoy doing – and, yes, there really is at least one for all of us (!) – and remembering that it doesn’t have to be anything too scary. Or considered as being “sporty.” It just needs to be something that gets us moving enough to raise our heart rate and breathing BUT where we can still carry on a conversation while doing it. Slightly winded, in other words. Brisk walking, cycling, swimming, jogging, dancing – and there are so many different forms to choose from these days – even golf, gardening and, dare we say it, the dreaded housework (!). So long as they get you moving, they’re all good and health enhancing.
If you’re more sporty – particularly if you enjoy very competitive, intense or high impact sports – then one word of warning. One of the reasons these sports are so enjoyable is the stress they put on the body and the adrenaline – and endorphins – released as a result. The “high” that comes from doing them. While this can improve performance, it also puts the body under a huge amount of strain and, as with any adrenaline fuelled response, burns up huge amounts of resources in the process. If you enjoy these sports, great, but do remember that sufficient rest time should be left between sessions to let the body recuperate, both physically and mentally.
As always, the choice is yours.
Copyright © 2025 Elaine Smart, Smart Holistics. All rights reserved.
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