3 minute read
Health
Irecently came across an interesting quote from a Professor James Levine who warned that ‘sitting is the new smoking’. He went onto say that sitting kills more people than HIV and is more treacherous than parachuting!
So is it true – are our sofas really out to kill us? Whilst sitting is nowhere near as dangerous as smoking, there is certainly a growing body of evidence that chronic inactivity is very harmful to our health.
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Our ancestors were hunters and gatherers. They would chase their prey for miles, collect fi rewood, plants and berries. Exerting themselves for survival, and when they had what they needed, they rested, conserving their energy until the next burst of activity was required. Even our more recent forbears participated in far more active jobs – working the land, carrying, lifting or cleaning, with little time for leisure.
Compare that then to our modern world, where everything is available to us from our bed or sofa, the fl ick of a switch or click of a mouse. Desk based jobs, cars that transport us from A to B (even if A to B is only a few hundred yards). It is little wonder then, that our genes have not been able to keep up with the rapid change in our lifestyles.
Sitting for long periods has been shown to have a detrimental eff ect on our metabolisms, aff ecting our ability to regulate blood sugar, increasing our risk of diabetes and cancer. It has also been linked to higher blood pressure and higher blood cholesterol which both contribute to cardiovascular disease.
When I talk to patients about exercise, it is often in relation to obesity and wanting to lose weight, but as I’ve talked about in previous articles, weight loss is best achieved through diet. There are a host of other health conditions though that would benefi t from less sitting.
Musculoskeletal problems such as back and neck pain are often caused by poor posture, lack of muscular strength and tone that comes from sitting too much. Varicose veins, deep vein thromboses, even constipation are all linked to inactivity and sedentary lifestyles.
And if that’s not enough to convince you – think about your mental health. We know that anxiety and depression are higher in people who sit more. The fi rst thing I recommend to all my patients with mental health concerns, is to fi nd time every day to get outside to walk- even if its just to the end of the street or garden.
The Government guidelines currently recommend 150 minutes of exercise a week.
Getting fi t with exercises classes, sports or the gym are all great, but this may sound daunting if you currently do very little .Small changes can add up to a lot though, so why not try:
• Taking the stairs rather than the lift • Get off the bus a stop early or park the car a bit further away and walk the rest of the way • Avoid the car for journeys of less than a mile • Try and stand up for a minute every hour (some smart watches will give you a gentle reminder about this) • Consider a standing desk (and yes I am standing as I write this!) • Reduce your screen time – or at least stand up when you’re scrolling! • Improve your balance by standing on one leg when you do everyday tasks like ironing, washing up or brushing your teeth • For young children minimise time spent in buggies, car seats and high chairs and encourage supervised activity time • Even if you are wheelchair bound there are ways of keeping active - the NHS website has some information on sitting exercises at www. nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/sitting-exercises/
It may be a bit late for New Year’s resolutions, but start today and you never know, by next year you may be reaping the benefi ts of a stronger, more active you. n
Why not try a stand-up desk?
Dr Rachel Tyler is a doctor at
