You may have heard the quip that sitting is the new smoking. Maybe you took this to heart but maybe you scoffed at the idea that something as innocuous as sitting down could be as detrimental to your health as breathing poison into your lungs. It might seem impossible and in truth, if you find this baffling you are in great company. Despite numerous studies over the last three decades, scientists aren’t entirely sure why sitting is so harmful but the fact remains, it is! Inactivity has been ranked among the top five contributing factors to preventable death.
Inactivity has been tied to coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, colon cancer, mental illness and raises the risk of obesity, deep-vein thrombosis and metabolic syndrome. It also can cause a tightening and stiffening of the largest muscles in the body which in turn makes exercise more difficult and places increased stress on the joints.
For some, it might be very difficult to immediately incorporate an hour of exercise into their day right away but approaching one’s daily routine with a mindset towards movement can help a great deal. For example, if you have a desk job, getting in some great movement every half hour can help to break up those long periods of inactivity which are the most damaging. Stand up, stretch for a few minutes and try to get a little walking in as well. Consider a standing desk to alternate your position through the day. For some, this may even help with back and neck issues exacerbated by an overly relaxed posture maintained for hours at a time.
It’s estimated that almost half of the American population gets little to no exercise each day. This has probably increased with the current pandemic and the reduction of team and social based physical activities. People are going dancing less and engaging in team sports with decreased regularity. What are many of them doing instead? Sitting. Sitting in front of the TV or even reading a book. These aren’t bad things and with the stress of today’s new normal they are even necessary things for some of us. However, it is more important than ever to be mindful and intentional about the amount of physical activity we do engage in.
If you are still tempted to throw in the towel on physical activity, check out these numbers from the Heart Foundation. They found that individuals with little physical activity had a:
112% increased risk of diabetes.
147% increased risk of cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke.
90% increased risk of death from cardiovascular events.
49% increased risk of death from any cause.
If going for a brisk walk can cut your risk of fatal health complications such as these in half, it may be time to carve out a little time to strut your stuff. Even if you can’t make a larger lifestyle change right now, smaller changes like setting a timer and moving regularly will still help. Every move we make towards a healthier future counts!