Sitting, the New Smoking
Sitting Is the New Smoking
In 2018 the American Journal of Public Health published a research article that found sitting increases all cause mortality by 22%. An article in Vascucular Medicine found that “over the past 50 years, sedentary jobs have increased by 83% and currently account for 80% of all U.S. jobs” (2021).
“Sedentary behaviors are pervasive, require minimal effort, and are accumulated throughout the week, and across multiple domains. (Eg. leisure, occupation, and transport)” (AJPH). Adults, on average, sit for 9 hours a day, while older adults sit for 10. The impact of these long hours of sitting contribute to the human body slowly wasting away.
Every cell in our body needs blood to survive, but living a sedentary lifestyle makes it so that multiple tissues and muscle in your body go long periods of time without adequate blood/nourishment. As a result this tissue becomes undernourished and begins to atrophy (waste away). The impact of sitting, on our cardiovascular health, leads to an increase risk of vascular disease by 10-20%.
The body has pre-programmed processes that are set-off by a lack of movement, one of them is in our blood capillaries, which will literally begin to clot as a result of the limited movement. There are two things that this impacts. First, the toxicity that has built up in your cells is not being alleviated due to inadequate blood flow. Second, the nutrition to these cells is severely limited. As a result, the toxicity accumulates in your body and slowly starves your tissue, leading to an increase in disease overall.
Science news wrote in 2011 that women who sit for a long time are 2-3 times more likely to develop blog clots in their lungs. The result of sitting undoubtedly affects everyone’s health, but what are the counter measures we can be taking to offset these negative effects?
Fundamentally our modern lifestyle is in complete contradiction to our evolutionary biology. Early humans spent most of their day walking and looking for food. We obviously don’t have the same needs as our ancestors, but by knowing the lifestyle that they led, we can change that.
The standing desk was developed in order to help offset the sitting problem. Having a standing/sitting desk leads to an increase in your blood flow and a number of other key markers that help to determine the health of an individual. Some of these markers include triglyceride levels and insulin resistance. Unfortunately standing does not impact your weight, step count, or waist circumference. A standing desk is only part of the solution. This solution is ideal for those that have no means in investing additional time into a daily exercise regiment.
Standing for long periods of time also has its hazards. As a graduate student I started to develop problems in my feet by standing for long periods of time at my desk. I have since found a solution that incorporates both the standing and sitting desk, and I often alternate between the two.
This is the desk I have purchased and recommend. It is reasonably priced and utilizes a hand crank, not electricity, which will help to prolong the life of the desk and its functionality (I am not getting paid for affiliate marketing for this).
Additionally, to help counteract the pain I was experiencing in my feet from prolonged standing, I found this standing mat. Due to my time in the military I developed Plantar Fasciitis, which is essentially inflammation in the souls of my feet. This mat helps to create some cushion, but also allows me to stand in different positions and also stretch my feet. This mat also has a varied surface that you can stand on that helps stimulate movement and increase blood flow. By incorporating this into my desk set-up I am working to prevent inadequate blood circulation .
For those that are looking for hacks to get away from your desk and become more hands free, there are other solutions. When you find yourself at your desk for long periods of time reading, you can program your iphone or mac to read for you. This can allow you to be more mobile, allowing you to walk and move around more freely.
These functions were originally designed for the seeing impaired, but as our society learns more, this software can become a lifesaver for everyone. To access this function, simply go to your settings, then accessibility, then spoken content, then turn on speak screen. For more information check out this article.
For those that are not audio listeners, you can schedule movement into your workday. By taking 5-10 minute breaks every hour, and going for a brisk walk around your building or even up and down the stairs. Not only are you increasing your blood flow, you also increase your productivity. Adequate blood flow increases adequate brain flow. Honestly, this is a good practice for everyone.
Just like you can program your device to read to you, you can also dictate to your device to write for you. You literally have your own personal secretary at your fingertips! One of the functions of the Microsoft Word program includes a button that allows you to dictate to the program. This is a very user friendly option, and has a slight learning curve as you become used to this new form of writing.
Although we all know we should also be working out daily, many times we associate that with weight management, but it goes far beyond that. Varied movement, the type that often comes from exercise, leads to an increase in blood flow, helping to counteract the negative effects of the sedentary lifestyle. No matter what other measures that are being made at the desk, exercise is one of the primary solutions that must be considered and implemented for optimal health.
Works Cited
Vallance, J. K., Gardiner, P. A., Lynch, B. M., D'Silva, A., Boyle, T., Taylor, L. M., Johnson, S. T., Buman, M. P., & Owen, N. (2018). Evaluating the Evidence on Sitting, Smoking, and Health: Is Sitting Really the New Smoking?. American journal of public health, 108(11), 1478–1482. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2018.304649
Bodker, A., Visotcky, A., Gutterman, D., Widlansky, M. E., & Kulinski, J. (2021). The impact of standing desks on cardiometabolic and vascular health. Vascular Medicine, 26(4), 374–382. https://doi.org/10.1177/1358863X211001934
BMJ-British Medical Journal. (2011, July 10). Sitting for long periods doubles risk of blood clots in the lungs. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 29, 2022 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110705071745.htm
How to get your iphone to read to you
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-read-text-out-loud-ios/