Have you heard the saying, “Sitting is the New Smoking?” Well, it is.
The phrase was crafted by Dr. James Levine, a professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic. Basically, any kind of extended sitting – at your desk, in the car, in front of the TV – can be harmful to your health. And, we all sit way too much!
According to a 2019 study by the Journal of the American Medical Association, the average American spends about 6.5 hours a day sitting – up an hour a day since 2007. Teenagers sit for an average of 8 hours a day. Holy Cow!!
So, what’s the big deal? First, sitting for long periods of time negatively impacts our mobility. Our hip flexors (muscles in the front of the leg at the hip) tighten and our glutes (our butt) weaken making us more prone for falls. More concerning though, is that excessive sitting has also been linked to a higher risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, depression, and anxiety at the same risk levels posed by obesity and smoking.
So how do we remedy this health risk? Simple really – move more! Exercise isn’t enough, but doing a standing activity for 5 minutes for every hour of sitting will make a difference. Here are a few ideas:
- Walk around while talking on the phone
- Instead of fast-forwarding through TV ads, get up and walk around your room
- Take the dog for a quick walk instead of just turning them out into the yard
- On a long drive, pull over every couple hours, get out of the car, stretch, and walk around a bit
- Take the stairs
- Conduct a walking meeting
- Park farther away from the door
- Crank up the music and dance
- Walk the long way to the restroom at work
- Convert a portion of your desk to a standing desk (if a fancy one is out of the question, paper boxes work😊 )
- Get a good pedometer, set a step goal, and get to that goal before you settle down for the night.
- If you tend to lose track of time, set an alarm on your phone to remind you to get out of your chair and move.
A few simple changes can have a big impact. So do it….it’s time for me to move! See ya!