How to Avoid the Negative Effects of Sitting All Day

For the big majority of Individuals, going to work means lengthy hours of sitting down at a desk. And with colder, darker days incoming, it’s probably that many individuals will spend growing quantities of their free time sitting down, too.

Sitting for lengthy durations of time at a desk or in entrance of a display screen can take a toll on an individual’s psychological and bodily well being. Plus, a big examine printed earlier this yr in JAMA Community Open discovered that those that had been sedentary at work had a 34% elevated danger of mortality from heart problems and a 16% elevated danger of all-cause mortality.

Being sedentary for lengthy durations of time has grow to be more and more frequent, particularly with extra folks working from residence, mentioned Anel Pla, CPT, licensed private coach at 5 Level Zero Health.

“The standard workplace employee spends round 10 hours a day sitting, whether or not it’s in entrance of a pc monitoring emails, making calls, or writing stories, and even throughout lunch,” Pla informed Well being. “Then, after work, it’s extra sitting in entrance of the TV or looking the online.”

But when “sitting is the brand new smoking,” is there something workplace employees can do to guard their well being? Fortunately, analysis additionally reveals that including extra motion into your day will help mitigate these points. Within the JAMA Community Open examine, contributors who alternated between sitting and shifting at work didn’t see an elevated danger of a shortened lifespan.

“These findings emphasize the necessity to scale back extended sitting within the office and improve every day bodily exercise,” Wayne Gao, PhD, first writer of the examine and affiliate professor on the Taipei Medical College School of Public Well being in Taiwan, informed Well being.

Right here’s what specialists needed to say concerning the well being penalties of sitting for lengthy durations and what you are able to do to keep away from these destructive results—even in the event you work a 9-to-5.

Spending giant parts of your day sitting down can have a spread of results in your physique.

For one, it has been related to metabolic syndrome, a cluster of situations together with hypertension, elevated blood sugar, extra physique fats, and irregular levels of cholesterol, “all of which up your danger for coronary heart illness, stroke, and sort 2 diabetes,” Pla defined.

Sitting for lengthy durations of time has additionally been related to different persistent situations, together with weight problems and dementia danger.

This will occur as a result of when the physique’s largest muscle groups aren’t shifting, it burns energy much less effectively, Cheng-Han Chen, MD, PhD, heart specialist and medical director of the structural coronary heart program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Heart, informed Well being. 

“In case your muscle groups aren’t energetic, then you definately’re not metabolizing glucose within the physique, and so your physique will get dangerous blood sugar regulation,” Chen defined. “It simply form of will get off form.”

As a result of individuals who sit extra don’t transfer their muscle groups as a lot, they’re additionally in danger for muscle loss and impaired blood circulation, Pla added. This muscle loss, once more, places an individual susceptible to persistent situations comparable to hypertension.

Ache and spinal points are additionally a priority, Jeremy Smith, MD, orthopedic backbone surgeon at Hoag Orthopedic Institute, informed Well being.

“I see sufferers who’ve sat a desk job for years have a major change of their spinal alignment and persistent ache,” Smith defined. “Sitting for hours in the course of the day with no break contributes to persistent again and neck ache, spinal misalignment, and degenerative change,” or points with the discs in an individual’s backbone.

Primarily, “our our bodies simply aren’t constructed for sitting all day,” mentioned Pla. “We’re meant to face straight and transfer.”

Due to the destructive well being penalties of a sedentary way of life, it’s finest for folks to keep away from sitting for lengthy durations of time every day. Nonetheless, work schedules usually make {that a} difficult process.

However specialists say there are nonetheless issues folks can do to mitigate the well being dangers related to extended sitting, Gao mentioned.

Employers ought to combine extra frequent breaks into their workers’ routines, give entry to standing desks, set up particular workspaces for bodily exercise, and supply fitness center membership advantages, Gao and his staff beneficial.

“These modifications will help shift the tradition and notion surrounding extended occupational sitting,” he mentioned. “By selling an surroundings that encourages motion and bodily exercise, people could also be extra motivated to cut back their sitting time and undertake more healthy habits.”

These systemic modifications to office tradition might take time to implement. However for now, specialists mentioned every particular person can attempt to make the next modifications in the event that they’re sitting an excessive amount of at work:

• Take common breaks. Set a timer to remind your self to face, stretch, or stroll, Chen mentioned. Researchers discovered that five-minute walks each half-hour offset the destructive well being results of sitting.
• Put money into sure workplace gear. Workplace gear that permits you to incorporate extra motion into your day-to-day may very well be useful. You may strive a standing desk, mentioned Smith, an ergonomic chair, or a desk treadmill, Pla added.
• Regulate your workspace. You’ll want to alter chairs, desks, and any displays or screens in order that they’re on the appropriate peak to advertise good posture and stop slouching.
• Have interaction in common bodily exercise. Make an effort to incorporate common bodily exercise in your routine, comparable to strolling, working, weightlifting, dancing, biking, and different actions. Goal for at the least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity bodily exercise per week.
• Stretch and carry out sure workouts at your desk. There are lots of workouts and stretches that you are able to do whereas seated or close to your desk, Chen mentioned, comparable to neck stretches, shoulder rolls, and the determine 4 stretch. You can too do occasional squats, standing lunges, or wall push-ups close to your workspace to interact your muscle groups, he added.

“Discover alternatives for bodily exercise. Search for methods to include bodily exercise into your every day routine,” Gao mentioned. “Take the steps as a substitute of the elevator, stroll or bike to work if potential, or take a stroll throughout your lunch break. Small modifications like these could make a major distinction.”