Is Sitting the New Smoking?

Sitting is the new smoking Every heard “Sitting is the new smoking”? Kind of makes you want to stop and read more doesn’t it?

But hey - you’re fit right? You go to the gym regularly and work hard for your 45 minutes or hour while you are there. What do you do for the rest of your day?

Canadians spend about 10 hours every day sitting.

That’s about 70% of our day being sedentary. Is our hour at the gym enough to make up for all those hours on our behinds? Research has shown that it is not only necessary for us to be physically active (at least 150 minutes a week) but it is also important to limit the number of waking hours spent in a sedentary state, translation; sitting.

So what’s the impact of sitting too much?

• Increases the risk of certain cancers
• May contribute to anxiety and depression
• Linked to high blood pressure and elevate cholesterol levels
• May cause a decrease in skeletal muscle mass

If that didn’t give you pause to think consider this: Those who walk or stand often throughout the day have a 30% lower risk of mortality! Another way to say that “sitting less than 3 hours a day could extend your life by 2 years and your chance of living until the age of 80 is over 20% higher”.

In essence, the less time spent being sedentary, the better. So start thinking about ways you can move more throughout the day. The opportunities are there, we just need to be intentional about it. There may be some things we can do to increase our fitness without stressing us out to find more time.

Make a list of what you can do in your day.

1. Add a bonus workout while you are walking your dog. – walk faster and/or go farther – add some body weight exercises, lunges, squats, pushups on a park bench.
2. Add some exercise to your meal prep. While you are waiting for food to cook, see how many lunges you can perform before the buzzer sounds.
3. Park on the top floor of the parking garage or on the far side of the parking lot to get in some stairs and extra steps.
4. Get off the elevator two or three flights before your floor and take the stairs the rest of the way.
5. Add some exercise to your meal prep. While you are waiting for food to cook, see how many lunges you can perform before the buzzer sounds.
6. Park on the top floor of the parking garage or on the far side of the parking lot to get in some stairs and extra steps.
7. Take the stairs to another floor’s restroom.
8. Get off the elevator 2 or 3 flights before your floor and take the stairs the rest of the way.
9. Add some exercise to your TV time. When the commercials come on, bust out some squats, pushups, or core. (If you have time to watch TV you have time to do some activity.)
10. When you get a phone call, get up and walk around.
11. Could you walk or bike to work? Walk to transit?
12. Set an alarm on your work computer that goes off every ninety minutes (or whatever time frame works for you) and get up and do something.
13. Move or stretch at least 3-4 minutes every hour.
14. Hold a walking meeting.
15. Organize group walks during lunch or breaks.
16. Walk to communicate instead of calling, emailing, or texting.
17. Keep a resistance band to perform strengthening exercises in your office.
18. Join a fitness class before work or at lunch.
19. Create and maintain a daily activity routine at work.
20. Wear a pedometer and set daily step goals (fitbit).
21. Get competitive: see who can walk the most steps each week.
22. Consider a sit-stand workstation.
23. Take a breather. Do 5 minutes of silent meditation while standing.

Instead of saying I don’t have time, try saying it’s not a priority. See how that fits. Often that’s a perfectly adequate explanation. “I have time to iron my sheets but I don’t want to” But other things are harder. Try it!

“I’m not going to help you with your homework because it’s not a priority”

“I don’t go to the doctor because my health is not a priority”

“I don’t exercise because my ability to improve my health is not a priority”

If these phrases don’t sit well, that’s the point. Changing your language reminds us that time is a choice. If we don’t like how we are spending the some of our time, we can choose differently.

If you are looking for more fitness or nutrition information to help you achieve your health & fitness goals please contact Christine Hanlan, Health & Wellness Ambassador. All members can have a complimentary Fitness Assessment and a Nutrition Assessment with Christine annually to go over health goals and create or review fitness and nutrition plans. Please contact Christine via email or drop by her office upstairs in the Fitness Centre at the end of the treadmills.

Written By Karen Bentham, Gloria Atkinson