On average, Americans sit for nearly half of their workday. That doesn’t include their commute or how many hours are spent sitting before and after the workday. It’s estimated that people that work office jobs sit an average of 15 hours a day total between their workday and home. It’s no surprise, but research backs it up- since the 1960s, the workplace landscape has drastically changed, and sedentary jobs have increased by 83%. According to the American Heart Association, physically active jobs now make up less than 20% of the U.S. workforce.
It may not seem like a huge deal, but when most Americans also aren’t physically active apart from the work setting, a workday that doesn’t include moving around, standing, or walking through the day can drastically increase the risk for a variety of health concerns.
For example, an analysis of 13 studies of sitting time and activity levels found that those who sat for more than eight hours a day with no physical activity had a risk of dying, similar to the risks of dying posed by obesity and smoking. Sitting too much can also heighten the risk of:
- Obesity
- High blood pressure
- High blood sugar
- Visceral fat
- Abnormal cholesterol levels
- Metabolic syndrome
- Cancer
- Negatively impact brain health
- Increased risk of anxiety and depression
A new study revealed that people that have a predominantly sedentary job have a 16% higher risk of mortality from all causes, and a 34% higher risk of mortality from cardiovascular disease. Published in Jama Open Network, the study included over 480,000 participants. The participants were followed for a period of 13 years and risk levels were determined after accounting for individual factors such as gender, age, smoking, drinking levels, and BMI.
However, researchers shared that people that mostly sit at work could engage in an additional 15 to 30 minutes of physical activity per day, apart from the recommended levels of physical activity, to mitigate this increased risk and reach the same level of risk as individuals who predominantly do not sit at work. These moments of activity don’t need to be strenuous. But it is important to mention that studies have found that movement, like walking from your desk to get something at the printer, standing, or other movement categorized as NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) may burn calories, but should not be viewed as a replacement for exercise. These movements are a great supplement to other activity and can help keep you limber, alert, help refocus your posture, promotes circulation, muscle tone, and more.
In fact, NEAT is also a way to help maintain the benefits of regular physical fitness. A study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise shows that people that regularly exercise but are mostly sedentary the rest of the day largely lose the benefits of their physical activity. Participants who exercised for half an hour a day, but then were sedentary between 10 to 12 hours a day had higher blood sugar, cholesterol and body fat compared to those who moved around more. This is where NEAT comes into play. Another study, carried out by Colombia University found that people who engaged in light activity for just five minutes every 30 minutes experienced benefit, for example an almost 60% reduction in blood sugar spikes after a meal. This specific result from minimal movement can impact the risk of prediabetes, insulin resistance, weight gain, and even medical issues like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which has also been found to be at a heightened risk from sitting too much.
Simple tips to reduce sitting
Apart from working towards increasing the amount of time you exercise daily, here are several ideas to increase movement through the day:
- Stand and fold laundry while watching TV.
- Do a few simple exercises or stretches while you watch. Check out our Tuesday exercise archives for ideas.
- Take short breaks while working to walk around your office building or home, walk in place, stretch.
- Walk up the escalator or stairs instead of taking the elevator.
- Use the farthest bathroom from your workspace (regardless of whether that is at home or at the office).
- Take a break from sitting every 30 minutes, even if it’s just to stand for a few minutes.
- Stand while talking on the phone, video chatting with family and friends, or watching television.
- If you work at a desk, try a standing desk, high table, or counter (but watch your posture as you don’t want to hunch over and cause yourself pain)
- Take it a step further and utilize a walking treadmill while at a high desk.
- Walk with your colleagues outside for meetings rather than sitting in a conference room. Now with meetings often on the phone, walk while on the call.
- At home, do work, read, or watch TV while on an exercise machine.
When it comes to activity every little bit counts. The more you break up sitting with any type of movement the more benefits you’ll see.
-https://www.bls.gov/ors/factsheet/sit-and-stand.htm
-https://time.com/4034715/sitting-health-harms/
-https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolefisher/2019/03/06/americans-sit-more-than-anytime-in-history-and-its-literally-killing-us/?sh=7bdf6a50779d
-https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2814094?utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_term=011924
-https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31023430/
-https://www.verywellfit.com/neat-non-exercise-activity-thermogenesis-2241984
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-https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22073428/
-https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/sitting-disease-how-a-sedentary-lifestyle-affects-heart-health
-https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/why-sitting-is-bad-for-you#section1
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