Last year, I left my full-time teaching job for an internship at a magazine. There were lots of new things to adapt to in the office environment, but the thing I had the most difficulty adjusting to was: my chair. When I was teaching, I was constantly on my feet. I even frequently ate my lunch standing up at the copy machine. At my internship, I was plopped at a desk in front of a computer screen for 6-8 hours a day and I immediately began to feel the effects on my back and my waistline.
Women’s Health tackled this issue recently with an article on what doctors are now referring to as “sitting disease.” According to the article, the average person spends about 56 hours per week sitting. In addition to problems with posture and back muscles, studies now show that spending this much time sitting can have a major impact on other areas of your health and can even be deadly.
Spending 6-8 hours a day sitting can dramatically increase your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and even depression. For example, for every two hours you spend sitting each day, your chance of contracting diabetes goes up 7%. Surprisingly, even people who maintain a regular exercise routine are not immune to these risks.
If you have the kind of job that requires you to sit all day, then following your normal exercise routine isn’t enough to combat the negative effects of this sedentary lifestyle. Studies have shown that people who take more breaks from sitting at their desks have lower BMIs, slimmer waistlines, and healthier blood fat and sugar levels, regardless of how much exercise they do after work, so find some ways to work regular bursts of activity into your day. Some ideas include:
1) Stand up and stretch or take a lap around the office every half hour.
2) Instead of emailing a colleague to discuss an idea, drop by her office.
3) Use the stairs instead of the elevator.
4) Park far from the entrance to your building and walk briskly from your car.
5) Stand up to check your email or talk on the phone. Pace if you can while on the phone.
6) Use part of your lunch break to take a brisk walk outside.
7) Buy an exercise ball and spend at least part of the day sitting on that instead of a chair. You’ll need to use your core muscles to stay balanced, which keeps your blood flowing.
Have you noticed any health changes due to sitting? What do you do to counteract these effects?
Comments (14)
I guessed that before the page opened. I'm so proud haha.
I guess I'm going to die thanks to university and its copious amounts of essays :(
Wow, I never thought of it that way...
I know it's really bad for me to sit all the time. i mean - 7 hours in school, 2 hours for homework, and then the hour or so that i sit while on the computer. it's worse because i slouch! ]: i already pace while talking on the phone, but i'm going to use that ball idea on the computer deffinatley! i just hope i don't roll off the back. x] knowing me, i probably will...
Its hard when you're forced to sit down in school.. At least I have gym
@dianchik_icons@xanga - My thoughts exactly. I don't suppose the profs can be persuaded to cut back on assignments, for the sake of our health!
@just_the_average_jane@xanga - I wish, but i think that's unlikely. Another tip that I've heard is to put your computer on a higher table so that you can stand and write. I've never tried it, but maybe it works?
@lindsaya - Yeah, I bet that would work. *sigh* No excuses for not finishing that paper then, dang it!
thats so crazy I would have never thought you would have an increased chance of getting diseases just from sitting.
Do you have any citations for the scientific studies? The Women's Health link doesn't work...
well, i don't really have a choice. i mean, i have 7 hours of school...
@xraindropsonroses@xanga - yeah.
and i think like most things there are things you can do to counteract this. if you eat healthy and exercise regularly i doubt sitting 7 hours, 5 days a week is going to lead you to develop diabetes.
when I was in high school and living at home with my parents we replaced the computer chair with an exercise ball. We had one for each height grouping in our family and the rule was, it you are on the computer, you use the ball. It was really great too. My dad and mom even replaced their chairs at work with the exercise ball. We all benefitted from it.
@karmavore@ireallylikefood - That's really cool that everyone got into it so well!
Wow interesting article.