Boilermaker and Beyond

About a week ago I saw a study about the dangers of too much sitting.  

We have become a sitting society. A century ago there would be a very good chance you were involved in a manual labor job. You may have walked back and forth to work and your television watching time was zero since it did not exist.

One of the most alarming aspects of the study was the long held notion that if we get in at least a 30 minute moderate to vigorous workout we would stave off the affects of our increasingly sedentary (which comes from the Latin word ‘sedere’ meaning ‘to sit’) lifestyle. It’s simply not enough.

For many we are now sitting longer than we sleep; some spend 70% of their waking time sitting.

We humans, as a species, were not built to sit- we were wired to move. We are not clams existing in a stationary position.

When we sit it sends a message to our brain that we are in a rest/ sleep period.

When we are in these periods the body does a poor job of breaking down fat and sugar. Simply put this causes a buildup of bad cholesterol and a decrease in good cholesterol.

The study points to excessive sitting as a direct link to heart disease, increased cancer risk and obesity.

While we don’t have to chase down (or run from) wild creatures like our hunter-gatherer ancestors there are some simple things we can do to literally ‘get moving’.

First off; monitor how much time you actually are sitting be it work, TV watching or reading a book. I think you will be shocked.

For TV watching, Americans log in 34 hours driven heavily by those 65 or older who watch 48 hours a week. So for our oldest citizens TV has become a full-time job; I think that’s sad on a number of levels.

Now let’s add the computer monitor time we put in both at work and home.

Some simple tips:

Use those machines that we are mentally chained t; set an alarm that rings after an hour and get up and move around.  When the commercials hit your favorite show(s) get up and stretch.

If you work in an office environment and need to take a bathroom break don’t go to the closest one (unless you really, really have to go).

Don’t park at the parking space that’s closest to your destination.

Some have modified their work stations so they stand up when they work on their computer. A treadmill desk is now for sale for those who want to work the miles as they work the keyboard.

BTW the irony of me sitting down writing this blog about the dangers of sitting is totally not lost on me. Time for a walk around the block!