Have a looksie at the [...]]]> Thanks to Chris at Conditioning Research for bringing this to my attention. The dangers associated with prolonged sitting is an important subject that we should not overlook. It was discussed here on Physical Living in an article from early 2010: Too Much Sitting = Too Bad For Your Health.

Have a looksie at the morbid infographic…

OK, some of the claims are a little hyped up, and we all know the common flaws associated with research and the reporting thereof, but the fact remains that prolonged sitting has some pretty steep consequences whether they’re accurately quantifiable or not. I mean, come on, calorie burning doesn’t drop to 1 per minute for ALL seated people. There are way too many variables involved to make a definitive statement like that. And really, for every hour that you watch TV, your risk of death increases 11%? 11%! That ought to make a great headline in the news, but I’m guessing they’re drawing an absolute conclusion from some isolated test results.

All of this research can appear bleak and over-whelming, but it isn’t doomsday, and there are ways to deal with the situation. We’re not doomed!

So, how do we solve the problem, or if you like the dramatic shtick, how do you get out of your chair alive?

Well, I completely agree with the notion that the 30 minutes of recommended daily activity is not enough (not even close!), and that it’s best to interrupt sitting sessions with movement of some sort as frequently as possible. Although, what they suggest you do during those breaks aren’t necessarily the solutions I’d recommend… Ahem… I mean, come on, marching in place. Seriously?

OK, here I am “marching in place” to combat the dangers of sitting and lower my chance of dying in the next 15 years by 40%.

Let me know how that works out for you!

All kidding aside, you don’t need to become an anti-sitting space cadet to deal with the sitting predicament, and there are much more enjoyable [AND BETTER] options available (like the ones towards the end of this article). But in the end, it shouldn’t be an issue of WHAT to do, but HOW to do it. We know exactly what needs to be done. We know that sitting on our butts all the time is a major problem, and we know that physical activity is the solution. We’ve known it all along! It doesn’t matter whether that activity is walking, tennis, or water polo. The point is that we need to do it!

Now, this is easier said than done. Sure, there are standing desks and wobble boards, and some people walk on the treadmill while they watch TV, but these are novel solutions that – while helpful – ignore the real problem, which is a disconnection from our true nature. What we really need is to find meaning in how we live our lives – in every little thing we do.

This is what Frank Forencich has been saying for years, and especially in his books Exuberant Animal and Change Your Body, Change The World. He actually just touched on this issue earlier this week with one rule he has for himself: whenever there are stairs, he will take them instead of an elevator or escalator. For Frank and myself, these types of decisions to rebel against the norm are not an issue of burning a few more calories or any other trivial health issue, but it’s an issue of personal identity.

This reminds me of a quote from Bill Bowerman who was a track and field coach at Oregon University and is the founder of Nike shoes. Bowerman was played by Donald Sutherland in the movie Without Limits, where he said to his new team of track and field athletes:

“Men of Oregon, I invite you to become students of your events. Running, one might say, is basically an absurd past-time upon which to be exhausting ourselves. But if you can find meaning, in the kind of running you have to do to stay on this team, chances are you will be able to find meaning in another absurd past-time: life.”
- Bill Bowerman

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CST, CST-KS, NSCA-CPT
Fitness Professional

P.S. Also, the suggestion to sit at a 135 degree angle is interesting. I’m confident this would indeed result in less strain on the back than a forward or vertical posture. Although, it’ll definitely put more strain on your neck from the exaggerated forward lean, which I see they failed to mention in their alarmingly specific infographic. I’d be interested in seeing more research on the topic of seated posture.

I’d like to say that I’m bringing you a nice, refreshing article about how we as a physically-cultured society are moving forward to greater heights in health and fitness. I wish that I could say we’ve made excellent progress to raise awareness, provide assistance, and solve common problems [...]]]>

when are we NOT sitting?

I’d like to say that I’m bringing you a nice, refreshing article about how we as a physically-cultured society are moving forward to greater heights in health and fitness. I wish that I could say we’ve made excellent progress to raise awareness, provide assistance, and solve common problems that are facing those who have trouble adopting a physically-focused lifestyle. I wish that I could tell you things are getting better. Unfortunately, I would be lying through my teeth. Even if my molars, canines, and incisors were sealed shut with quick-drying, rubber cement, the lies would burst out of my nostrils (How’s that for graphic imagery? Don’t answer that.).

I’m sorry to report to you that we are making a TON of progress – rapid progress – towards a doomsday end of physical exuberance and youthful vitality. Even with the onslaught of information that is available about living a life of abundant health and vitality, we are still managing to deteriorate faster than the pothole-laden, frostheave-strewn New England roads in the dead of our snowy and occasionally frigid winter. Where do all those property taxes go anyways?

It’s the sad truth. Even though we know that we know that we KNOW that we shouldn’t remain sedentary for the better part of the day, we still are. At least that’s what I’ve been reading lately. Statistics are statistics, and they can lie, but we’re certainly moving in that direction – the sedentary direction, that is. Come to think of it, I can’t remember the last time I heard something refreshing in the news about health and fitness.

And just to add to the reverberations of awful news in health, here’s another one for you taken from The Telegraph…

Recent research suggests that inactivity increases the chances of developing diabetes and heart disease, independently of how often someone works out.

Interesting. Now you’re telling us that even if we exercise regularly – no matter how much or how hard, if we sit for too long, then we’re still at a greater risk of developing debilitating and life-threatening diseases. Fantastic news! Tell me more.

One study found that that the chance of developing metabolic syndrome, a condition which can lead to diabetes, rose by 26 per cent for every extra hour a woman spent watching television, no matter how much exercise she took.

Mmm, now that’s not reassuring news. Surely they have a solution for prolonged sitting…

They suggest simple changes, such as taking the lifts instead of the stairs, or walking around the office for a few minutes during the working day.

I should’ve known that it was this simple. To think that death could be postponed or maybe even prevented by a couple minor shifts in daily transportation. I, for one, am glad that this team of educated, qualified professionals is working hard to find and solve common, deadly health problems.

Anything else?

The researchers admit that scientists do not yet fully understand why spending long periods sitting down can increase the chances of developing health problems.

Aha!  I knew this was coming. The infamous line of “we need more research in this area.” Man, if I had a nickel every time I heard that, I could probably afford to clone myself (which probably wouldn’t be a good idea – for me… or society).

Of course we need more research! Gosh, look what all the research is helping us accomplish. In case we didn’t already know, we NOW know that sitting down all day is bad for us. Well I’m glad that’s settled. Give those scientists a paid vacation. They’ve done enough work. Surely, their names will be written in bold within the bowels of our children’s science books (If this is your first time here, please note the sarcasm).

All kidding aside, this kind of research is important. As much as I hate to admit it, it DOES serve a purpose. But what I’m even more interested in hearing than the research conclusions, is the actual in-the-trenches advice of not only what we need to do, but HOW we can do it.

It’s so easy to offer painfully obvious advice like “take the stairs instead of the elevator” or “park further away in the parking lot.” If it were that simple, everyone would be fit and healthy. This advice doesn’t help people as much as the advice to internalize the principles of physical living. In order to enjoy all the benefits that a physically-focused lifestyle has to offer, we need to do more than just follow rote advice, we need to adopt and practice new life values, or at least confirm the ones we have forgotten.

If we, as individuals, don’t take disease prevention seriously BEFORE disease is upon us, then when we get stressed enough, sick enough, fat enough, or old enough, it’s going to be too late to prevent disease from taking over our life. It becomes outside of your ability to control, out of your hands. At that point, you start relying on doctors who work with life and death every day. There’s nothing else you can do but depend on someone else, which has valuable life lessons, of course – if you live through it. But I’d like to avoid that scenario, if possible.

Maybe I’m just a control freak (my parents did own a book about raising a strong-willed child), but I’d like to know that I have the ability to at least take care of my physical health, all by myself, or at least with the simple aid of my family. Not my doctor, not the government, not the late-night TV ads. I want the ability to maintain and improve my physical health and fitness solo. And I understand that there are always exceptions to the rule, and I’m not saying doctors should not be consulted – they are the best people to be seeking when you are facing a health problem that requires immediate diagnosis and treatment. Although my thoughts about government run health care and most late night health gimmicks may be different.

My point is that we already know the fundamental fact: sedentary living ultimately leads to disease and premature death. This is not new news. Although it has been given some attention recently…

Sitting Too Much Could Be Deadly

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100120/ap_on_re_eu/eu_med_dangers_of_sitting

Sitting Too Long: a novel and important predictor of chronic disease risk

http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/43/2/81.full

Physicians should discourage prolonged sitting because it leads to diseases that often result in premature death – even cancer

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19346988?dopt=Abstract

Search the Internet, and you’ll find plenty more evidence against prolonged sitting. So, what can we do about it?

Peter Katzmarzyk of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge (we’ll call him PKOTPBRCIBR for short), says “But it seems the more you can get up and interrupt this sedentary behavior, the better.”

Ok Peter, that sounds like a logical conclusion. If prolonged sitting leads to dis-ease and eventually premature death, then surely breaking up those extended periods of sitting (aka “mega-breaks”) with mini-breaks should improve the numbers game. But what if we did something totally different? What if we went totally against our better reasoning and actually did something that we just know will solve this problem and many others? That’d be crazy talk, right?

I mean what kind of wacko would recommend you actually make a disciplined effort to stay active almost all day long? I think you already know the answer to that. And I wish I had a super-hero theme song that played right now as you’re reading this. But unfortunately, good advice rarely comes with theme music. It’s usually just good advice, and you either take it or leave it. And here’s a high dose of old-fashioned, good advice:

If you want to live a long, healthy life, if you want to prevent disease and the discomforts and hardships that come with it, and if you want to live your life to the fullest potential, then you need to make a conscious effort to get physically active as much as possible EVERY DAY – even if that means you need to drastically change your life.

Not for an hour at the gym, 3 times a week. Not for 5 minutes a day in the comfort of your living room. If you’re still counting the minutes, then you haven’t realized the true value.

Battle Plan Against Inactivity

Here’s a great plan that will completely rock-your-socks-off if you followed it for 4 weeks straight – or maybe even 4 days… or heck, 4 years…

Start your day with a quick Intu-Flow joint mobility session to wake up your nervous system, release tension, and prepare your body for the day ahead. If you have a sedentary job, do this periodically throughout the day, too. (8-15+ minutes).

After lunch, go for a walk or run. (10-30+ minutes).

Mid or late afternoon, do something physically challenging like clubbell training, bodyweight exercise, TAC-FIT, MovNat, FlowFit, BodyFlow, or practically anything else from this list (14-45+ minutes).

After dinner, or right before bed, finish your day with some Prasara Yoga (14-20+ minutes).

After all that, you can have a day full of physical activity in as little as 46 minutes*. Not only that, but you’d have an excellent system for achieving virtually any fitness goal. Want to look like an athlete or a model – yep you can do that in 46 minutes a day. Want to play better ball? Yep you can do that, too. Want to have more energy, better sleep, better sex, better concentration, better better better. Yep, those, too.

*If you don’t have 46 minutes a day, then you’ve got problems, my friend, and I feel sorry for you. I’d recommend you do yourself a favor and make some time for YOU.

You Won The Battle, Now Win The War

But what if you wanted to go the extra mile. Maybe you have an hour or two every day to devote specifically to physical activity, but you want to make an extra effort to squash your sedentary habits for good. The answer is obvious, but PKOTPBRCIBR doesn’t know. Peter doesn’t know that instead of suggesting brief interruptions of sedentary behavior, the best solution is to completely eliminate the sedentary behavior. If you want to eat that hippo, don’t tickle its feet. Cut it off at the head!

So, how do we do that?

Well, for most of us who have a common-man life, it means we would need to get a job that involves physical activity – and there are many available (though in slightly less demand). Sure, you could fight the battle of trying creative methods for incorporating more physical activity “bursts” into your daily regime. And that’s a worthy goal, and all the power to those who seek after it. I wish I had a good solution for you (maybe you already do, and if you do, please share in the comments). But the odds are against most of us, and if you’re confined to a desk for the better part of each day, then it may call for more drastic measures.

You may have to get rid of your TV, or only turn it on for special occasions (and no, special occasions don’t happen every day). You may have to walk or cycle to work instead of ride. You may have to sacrifice sleep to make time to exercise. You may even need to change jobs…

But what if there isn’t anything available in my area? Well, you might have to relocate, which is not quite as bad as dying early.

But what if it doesn’t pay as much? Don’t worry, a good life insurance plan will take care of your family.

But what if I don’t like it? Then don’t do it.

I’m not trying to back you into a corner. What I am trying to do is show you that each one of us makes our health a priority at different levels. Each one of us decides what our health is worth to us each day. And each one of us will live and die by our decisions. Many will have you believe that you are bound to a particular fate, but it’s not true. You are responsible for your life, and you have the power to change your circumstances one choice at a time. Free will is a beautiful thing because you CAN choose. If you need help, get started with one of the programs I listed above. Set a time to do it every day, and find a way to make yourself accountable to that.

And now, to sit or not to sit? That is the question. And I hate to admit it, but you won’t find the answer from reading a blog.

To your health and success,

CST, CST-KS, NSCA-CPT
Fitness Professional