Like many individuals, I even have a job that involves sitting in front of a pc most days. Since I do business from home, I don't have to sit down for long commutes, and my dog gets me out of my chair for a walk a few times a day. Still, a brand new study on the health risks of an excessive amount of sitting (or what researchers call sedentary behavior) has made me more conscious of how much chair time I'm spending every day.
According to the report, published this week History of Internal Medicine, On average, greater than half of waking hours are spent sitting: watching television, working on a pc, traveling, or doing other physically inactive tasks. But all that sitting can send us to an early grave — even for individuals who exercise for an hour a day, say the Canadian researchers who studied the study.
Their findings were drawn from 47 studies that checked out the health effects of sedentary behavior. The researchers adjusted for people's other kinds of activity, from leisure time activities to vigorous exercise. During these studies, individuals who sat for long periods of time had the next risk of dying from all causes — even those that exercised frequently. The negative effects were much more pronounced in those that did little or no exercise.
Fear of an early death doesn't often motivate people to vary their habits, but dropping pounds could be a motivation. When you're sitting, you burn 30% more calories than when you find yourself standing. It's not an enormous amount, says Dr. Lee, but it surely adds up over time and helps with weight control.
The authors of Dates The study offered suggestions for sitting less, similar to standing or walking around for one to 3 minutes every half hour when you're at work. “There are many apps you can use on your phone or computer that will sound an alarm to remind you,” says Dr. Lee. Standing up while watching TV or exercising—even just during commercials—is one other popular tip, as is standing up while talking on the phone. “The key is to make a habit of doing things you do without thinking, like brushing your teeth,” says Dr. Lee.
For me, I hope more standing becomes a habit. But within the meantime, I feel I'll download an alarm app to my computer, which is able to help me stand up more often than my dog. I'm also considering constructing a standing desk, as a colleague of mine has done.