IMAGINE YOU’VE PREPARED YOUR TOPIC thoroughly and made it as interesting as possible. However, when you were well into your presentation, you noticed decreased attention and visual engagement with your listeners. In fact, most of them were asleep! What’s going on?
PROLONGED SITTING HURTS
For years we had been taught that a total of sixty minutes or so of intense exercise three times a week was the ideal for good health and longevity. Now studies show that sitting for a long time or lying down for prolonged inactive hours can be as harmful to the body as smoking. Uninterrupted sitting for six hours or more a day raises your health risks regardless of how hard you exercise before or afterward.
MADE TO MOVE
God built us to stand tall and move around. Things work better in our bodies under this plan. For instance:
• The cardiovascular and pulmonary systems, designed to move life-sustaining oxygen and blood about the body, work more efficiently when the body is upright. Prolonged periods of inactivity can significantly raise the risk of heart attack and stroke over time.
Our digestive and bowel systems also function more normally when we stand and move. Long hours of no physical movement can significantly slow these processes, causing unpleasant side effects such as heartburn, constipation, gas, and bloating.
• The large leg and gluteal muscles—important for stabilizing our gait and posture—can weaken and waste away by hours of sitting, increasing our fall risk.
• Muscle movement aids the body in digesting the fats and sugars we eat. Prolonged periods of inactivity result in a less-than-optimum digestion process, causing our bodies to retain and store fats and sugars as body fat.
• Even if we exercise strenuously but still spend a large amount of time sitting without breaks for stretching and movement, we increase our risk of metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors that raise the risk of diabetes and heart disease.*
The hips and back weaken, and we lose the ability to effectively support ourselves when we sit hunched over for a long time. The hip flexor muscles shorten, causing increasing problems with the hip joints. Back problems can increase due to poor posture, leading to the risk of compression of the discs in the spine and painful premature spinal degeneration.
• People who sit for hours risk missing out on the mood-enhancing, positive, feel-good effects of physical activity and fitness.
• There is suspicion that the risk of some types of cancer may increase due to habits of prolonged inactivity—cancers affecting the lungs, breasts, and uterine and colon systems.
• Research suggests that people who spend more time sitting have a higher risk of developing diabetes due to the increased insulin resistance in the body.
• Long periods of inactivity can lead to varicose or spider veins from blood pooling in the legs. A long plane or car trip can increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), commonly known as a blood clot in the leg. A pulmonary embolism—a life-threatening medical emergency—happens if part of the clot breaks off and lodges in the lungs.
• Hunching over a computer keyboard for hours at a time can result in pain and stiffness in the neck and shoulders and, over time, can affect posture.
• Studies indicate that over the past couple of decades, while we have become increasingly tethered to our computers, smartphones, and digital devices, our attention spans have shrunk in measurable ways. Our ability to concentrate has also suffered as we engage more and more in the stress of rapid multitasking. This may explain why audiences find it challenging to stay engaged and mentally focused while sitting through a prolonged presentation. Concentration wanes, the thoughts wander, and drowsiness can set in. Studies show that shorter presentations have a better effect on mental engagement and memory retention.
HOW TO SIT LESS
Replacing just thirty minutes of sitting each day with light physical activity may be enough to significantly decrease overall mortality rates. So, how can we do this?
At Home
• While cleaning up, put things away in small trips rather than doing it all in one trip.
• While watching TV, set a timer to remind you to get up and move.
• Walk around while talking on the phone.
• Stand up when ironing.
• Instead of sitting down to read, listen to audiobooks while you take care of home tasks or work in the garden.
• Park farther away when shopping and enjoy walking more steps to your destination.
At Work
• Stand up while reading emails and reports or catching up on your phone.
• Move your trash bin away from your desk so you will have to stand up and walk to it to throw anything away.
• Walk around the room when engaged in phone or conference conversations.
• Set a timer to remind yourself to take water and bathroom breaks.
• Resist the elevator and take the stairs instead.
• During lunch breaks, walk briskly outside and enjoy your sandwich in the sunshine and fresh air.
SUMMARY
• Sitting or lying down for long periods increases your risk of chronic health problems. Less sitting and more moving contribute to better health, especially as you age.
• Too much sitting can harm mental function and health, causing poor mood, increased stress, and decreased sleep quality.
• Try to take a break from sitting every thirty minutes or so. Set a timer.
• Being more active is not as hard as you might think. There are many simple ways to include some physical movement in your day.
*The five conditions of metabolic syndrome are obesity, high blood pressure, high blood triglycerides, insulin resistance, and low levels of HDL (the “good” cholesterol).
RESOURCES:
https://www.quotegarden.com/sittingstanding.html
https://www.webmd.com/fitnessexercise/ss/slideshow-sitting-health
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/the-dangers-ofsitting
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6082791/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30905483/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthylifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/sitting/faq-20058005
Koniver, Laura. “Prolonged Sitting Is Bad for Us.” MaryJane’s Farm. October/November 2024, 43.
