Get up, get up: combating the “sitting disease”

During the past few years of work from home, stay-at-home orders and social distancing, many people are sitting even more than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Sitting is so common that we often don’t realize how much time we actually spend sedentary. However, sitting for too long can have many negative impacts on health and longevity.

A 2011 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine It found that prolonged sitting was associated with an increased risk of 34 chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. Oh!

A typical American is sedentary for 21 hours a day. Including exercise and physical activity, people in the US only spend about 3 hours a day simply standing.

This phenomenon has been termed “sitting disease,” which is broadly defined as a condition of increased sedentary behavior associated with adverse health effects. Sedentary behavior can be defined by two things: the position you are in, which is usually reclining or sitting, and the amount of energy expenditure your body is experiencing.

You may be wondering, “But I exercise every day, does this still apply to me?”

Unfortunately, according to The Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports and ExerciseThe “active couch potato” phenomenon claims that even an active person who exercises five times a week still faces the risks associated with “sitting disease” if they lead a sedentary lifestyle outside of the gym. Unfortunately, you can’t undo more than eight hours of sitting with one exercise!

Although moderate to vigorous exercise is recommended 3 to 5 times a week, it is important to start with the first step: standing up. Dr. Brian LiemMD, FAAPMR, of UW Sports Medicine, says that a “long-term sitting lifestyle is clearly different from even a lifestyle without routine exercise.”

A Mayo Clinic study found that for every 2 hours spent sitting, 352 calories are conserved compared to someone standing. Dr. Liem emphasizes that “standing can help restore some of that metabolic activity because standing causes contractions in the postural muscles of your back, hips, and knees to keep you upright.”

Most Americans stare at a computer screen throughout the day, whether at an office desk or at home. If not, we’re looking at the computer in our pockets: our smartphones. The average office worker sits 15 hours a day, which is equivalent to about 80,000 hours spent sitting throughout their life.

Technology has become an accepted part of our everyday lives, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be aware of what our body is doing while using technology.

Staring at the computer with poor posture causes the development of a hump in the upper back, shortening of the hip flexors, shortening of the abdominal muscles, a sunken chest, weakened shoulders, arm pain, numbness and tingling in the extremities, and worst of all, traumatic pressure on the discs in the back. All of these symptoms are not uncommon.

Good posture is also important when using a smartphone because the human head weighs between 10 and 12 pounds. Studies show that tilting your head down to the typical 60-degree position for texting can make your head weigh about 60 pounds. We spend between 700 and 1,400 hours on our smartphones each year, so putting so much strain on our neck and spine just by tilting our head for so long can start to develop problems.

So what are some solutions?

We know that it is difficult to move away from technology and that many common solutions can be expensive or difficult to find on the market. Instead, we emphasize the importance of awareness in terms of your posture, body movement, and the amount of sitting/reclining time per day.

For every hour you sit, try to spend about ten minutes standing. For every 30 minutes you are working, there should be 20 minutes of actual work on the computer and then a 10-minute break. That 10 minute break should be 8 minutes standing and 2 minutes stretching. This alone is a pretty big change from sitting for hours and, over time, should give something back to your body exponentially.

Incorporate movement breaks into your day

Take a look at the entire U Flexibility at your desk and Stretch at your desk handouts to learn some moves you could try at work. We also encourage you to Join The Whole U Daily Movement Class to 11 a.m. 15 minutes of stretching and light movement to give your body a much-needed rest.

When sitting, think about an ergonomic posture: bring the keyboard and mouse closer to your body, keep your shoulder blades back, relax your elbows at your sides, and keep your spine neutral. The entire U Work with better posture The brochure is a great place to start.

Learn more by watching 2 recorded webinars

Work Ergonomics with Dr. Peter Johnson

Join Dr. Peter Johnson, Professor Emeritus of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences and Adjunct Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering to learn everything you need to know about creating an ergonomic workspace, wherever you’re working! Click here to download Dr. Johnson’s updated slides.

Deep Dive into Sitting Illness with Sports Medicine from the University of Washington

Elliot O’Connor, DPT, and Dr. Brian Liem of UW Sports Medicine share information about what sitting sickness is, how it can lead to chronic back and neck pain, and provide some simple exercises you can do to prevent and beat sitting sickness.

Small steps can make a big difference, literally!

You can also combat “sitting sickness” through small things. Try parking farther away, standing while eating lunch, and doing one-legged balance poses while watching TV or brushing your teeth. Every small step you take is one less moment you spend sitting.

In addition to standing, aerobic exercise is extremely important. As recommended by the HSS, you should perform a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity about 5 days a week or 20 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity about 3 days a week.

Fight the avoidable effects of “sitting disease” by getting up and away from the sedentary lifestyle!