Get moving in the office!
“Sitting is more dangerous than smoking, kills more people than HIV, and is more treacherous than parachuting. We are sitting ourselves to death,” says Dr. James Levine, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic, “the chair is out to kill us.” When you think of something that could threaten your life, you probably don’t think about your chair at work.
The average adults spends one third of their time at work – that’s about half the time they’re awake! This is quite detrimental if most of this time is spent sitting. Add to that hours spent sitting in the Kampala jam and we have a catastrophe! A new study published in Annals of Internal Medicine has found that sitting for more than 30 minutes at a go is a risk factor for early death. It is important that the sitting cycle is broken at 30 minute intervals to reduce the negative effects associated with sitting.
Exercise is good for your health but sadly it doesn’t negate the damage done by extended periods of sitting according to research by Pennington Biomedical Research Center. So in essence if you exercise for 1 hour a day and then spend six hours sitting, you are still at risk! Sitting is an independent risk factor for disease, the only way to reduce its impact is by sitting less. When we sit our lower body essentially shuts down as there’s very little muscle activity and poor blood circulation as blood tends to pool in the lower part of our body. The health effects of this near shutdown are numerous as we will delve into below.
Prolonged sitting leads to weight gain. Dr. Levine embarked on a journey to discover the hazards of sitting and the benefits of standing. For his study, he put office workers who did not exercise on a 1,000 calorie diet. Despite the low calorie diet some gained weight and some lost weight. He then had the participants wear underwear that was lined with sensors that would tell him how much each worker was moving throughout the day. They discovered the missing link, the group that was losing weight was moving around 2.25 more hours per day than the group that put on weight. So the individuals who were sitting less were losing weight and the ones who sat more were gaining weight despite the calorie restriction and despite the lack of exercise in both groups.
As stated by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases in the United States, back pain is one of the most common health problems affecting working adults with 1 out of 4 people experiencing back pain 1 day out of every 3 months. If you have back or neck pain and you sit for long hours during the day with bad posture, this could be the source of your problem. Long periods of sitting put a lot of pressure on the lower back and result in weaker glutes (muscles in the buttock area). Weak glutes means less stability in the hips and less pushing power with the legs. Poor posture shortens and tightens the hip flexor muscles, which will make you weaker, less flexible and less mobile in the long run.
Several types of cancer are believed to be caused by inactivity according to the Alberta Health Services Cancer Care in Canada. Cancers of the breast, colon, lung, prostate, endometrium and ovary have all been linked to inactivity. Each of these have been related to excessive sitting but the exact underlying mechanism by which sitting increases cancer risk is still unclear.
An interesting study done on London bus drivers compared rates of heart disease in London bus drivers who sat versus the bus conductors who stood. The research found that the drivers who sat all day experienced far more heart attacks and other problems than the group that stood. Additional evidence from the Imperial College London indicates that men who sit more become worse at metabolizing sugars and fats. Their distribution of body fat is also altered and they become fatter around the middle. Such changes are among the first steps on the road to diabetes. Other risks associated with sitting include a lower life expectancy, a higher risk for deep vein thrombosis (developing a blood clot in the veins of the legs) due to pooling of blood in the legs, higher rates of anxiety and depression and an increased risk for high blood pressure.
Sadly many workplaces inadvertently incentivize and encourage unhealthy habits and behaviors such as long hours of sitting. It is possible to reverse this tendency and introduce a culture of being more physically active in the office. This will reduce and negate the risks posed by sitting for prolonged periods.
The first step is to set yourself up for success by wearing a comfortable pair of shoes or keeping one handy at the office. You are less likely to walk or stand if your feet feel uncomfortable. Flat, comfortable fitting, closed shoes are the obvious choice, not too tight and not too loose.
Next determine to walk more during the working day. Walking encourages blood flow in the lower limbs, gets your muscles working and burns more calories than sitting. You can begin your day by parking further from the office or dropping off the boda or taxi a couple of streets away and walking the rest of the way. Use the stairs and not the elevator to increase your step count. Some organizations shut down elevators early in the morning when people arrive at work to encourage the use of stairs and later on in the day as people prepare to leave the office. Instead of calling your colleague on the office intercom, walk to their work station to get your blood flowing and release pressure on your glutes. Use a bathroom on a different floor in your building to encourage you to walk more. Take a ten minute walk during your lunch break or longer if you can.
Find ways of standing more throughout your day. Standing is healthier than sitting, it burns more calories and engages the core muscles and muscles of the legs, ankles and feet. This helps strengthen muscles and improves your posture and balance. Stand up and walk around a bit while you chat on the phone. Stand up to check your email or to read documents. This might seem a little awkward at first but you can turn it into an office trend that will make everyone healthier in the long run. Talk to your boss about investing in a few standing work stations. These allow workers to plug in their laptops or computers and work while standing for varying periods. Standing meetings are also fast becoming a trend, instead of sitting during meetings everyone can stand. This not only presents health benefits but has the added advantage of keeping meetings short and straight to the point.
To encourage blood flow to your lower body perform simple stretches every hour or two in your chair. You can stretch your legs by extending your legs under your desk. Another useful stretch is curling your hamstrings by flexing or folding your legs under your chair. You could also stretch your calf muscles by stepping on the front part of your feet, with your knees flexed and stretch or pull your knees upwards. Take time to stretch your back as well. While in a seated position, raise one arm over your head and place your other hand on your thigh for support. Slowly bend to the opposite side until you feel a comfortable stretch along the side of your trunk then repeat 3-5 times on each side. Each stretch should be held for 15-20 seconds. In short walking, standing and stretching are still great ways to keep you active during the day and negate the effects of sitting.