Is Sitting the New Smoking?

Our bodies are designed to move, but our current lifestyles have most of us sitting for nine plus hours a day! And we don’t sit actively like our ancestors, who would mostly squat rather than sit full on their haunches like we do now. Even sitting cross-legged with good posture is better for your body than sitting or laying on furniture. There is one study that everyone has probably heard of that states sitting is as dangerous if not more so than smoking. Whether this study is valid or not, there are many others that show how detrimental prolonged sitting is to our health. Worldwide physical inactivity has an estimated $70 billion dollar a year cost in healthcare costs and lost productivity.
Lack of movement causes a myriad of health concerns from the obvious weight gain epidemic in the United States to increased rates of diabetes and the increased risk of dementia as we age. We also see decreased bone density and increased fall risk as we age due to prolonged sitting and lack of daily movement. Studies show that sitting both increases blood pressure and decreases arterial diameters to cause a double impact on the cardiovascular system as well. Poor posture while we sit for prolonged periods leads to increased tension headaches, back, shoulder and hip problems as well.
Unfortunately you are not necessarily safe if you exercise regularly. Turns out you need to exercise one full hour for every eight hours of sitting a day! How many of us have time to do that? Also just standing all day is not as beneficial as the act of standing up frequently. Standing up uses more large muscles and actually burns more calories than standing alone. Thankfully, small changes like standing up regularly throughout the day can provide significant health benefits and help to counteract our sitting times.
While getting more exercise is a common goal for a lot of people, an hour a day of any kind of exercise just starting out may be counterproductive. Most people realize that going from couch potato to running a marathon is going to take a while to obtain. But even the common goal of “10,000 steps a day” is not going to work for most people. 10,000 steps is between four to five miles of walking! The average person only walks about 3000 to 4000 steps a day which is about 2 miles and many of us do not even walk that much.
As with any new habit, starting with small goals will lead to greater success, and fewer possible injuries. There are fitness trackers on phones or you can use any of the wrist versions to help find your sitting and walking baselines. Then combining the act of standing up regularly and taking walks even just around the house or office for a few minutes every hour, will go a long way to reducing many negative effects of sitting.Show more

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https://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2018/08/10/stand-more-sit-less.aspx?v=1600546914
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All material and information presented by Kristy Duncan and/or Guidepost to Wellness is intended to be used for educational purposes only. The statements made about products, supplements, or treatments have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The information herein is not intended to treat, cure, or prevent any condition or disease. Please consult with your own physician or healthcare practitioner before making changes to your diet, exercise routine, or lifestyle.
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