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Are you sitting to Death?

Article written by Gloria Cabrera.

Sitting while writing this article got me thinking about my daily habits. Like many I spend much of an 8 hour work day sitting, that’s right, 8 hours not 2 not 3, but 8! Scary really. Technically I’m not sitting for the entire 8 hours but for much of it, I am. Could this be affecting my health?

According to a recent study, I’m not alone and this sedentary lifestyle that many live may affect long term life expectancy.2 Let’s take a closer look.

The Study

The American Journal of Epidemiology recently published a 14 year study that looked at the amount of time people spend sitting.1,2 The results showed that people who sat for six hours or more per day were more likely to die from heart disease and cancer than those who spent less than 3 hours sitting.1,2 Women had a 37% increased risk while men had a 17% increased risk.2

What if you exercise? Although exercisers had a lower risk, sitting’s influence on death risk still remained high.1,2 Regardless those who didn't exercise had an even higher risk (94% for women and 48% for men), so don't stop exercising!2

Take home message

Get active throughout the day! This isn’t always easy especially if you have an office job requiring you to sit but take and make every opportunity you can.

Here’s some tips to get more active:3

  • Change your mode of transport – walk to work/station/bus stop or park further and walk
  • Walk while you talk on the phone
  • Take the stairs and take them faster (safely)
  • Plan an active lunch break e.g. go for a 30 minute walk
  • Volunteer to do some active errands e.g. walk to the coffee shop (be careful not to become the office slave!)
  • Walk for a meeting or catch up
  • Try some office exercise ideas (google or search u-tube for office exercise ideas)  

Sitting for 6 hours or more each day has been linked to higher risk of diseases such as heart disease and cancer and an earlier death. This is a reality check for me, what about you? Is it time to get more active?

 

 

References

  1. DeNoon, Daniel, J., 2010. Sit More, Die Sooner [Online]. Available at http://women.webmd.com/news/20100722/sit-more-die-sooner [Accessed 13th August 2010].
  2. Gardner, Amanda, 2010. The Longer You Sit, the Shorter Your Lifespan: Study [Online]. Available at http://health.msn.com/health-topics/cancer/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100261492 [Accessed 13th August 2010].   
  3. Shill, Robin, 2010. How to Become More Active in an Office Job [Online]. Available at http://www.robinshill.com/2010/08/01/how-to-become-more-active-in-an-office-job/ [Accessed 18th August, 2010].




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Last updated 10/19/2010 9:14:46 PM