Who would know synchronicity would play into my blogging about sitting disease to the point that I am now considering a standing desk!
The short story about me now researching the right standing desk comes from a circuitous route from my annual physical exam and then, over to my chiropractor.
It turns out my back is now in another stage of degenerative back disease. In my evaluation this is not a mind-body cure. I could be wrong about this. My chiropractor said if standing more as my plan one is, doesn’t get more relief, he highly recommends, you guessed it – a standing desk. So if you are one with neck or back problems this last post in this series could provide you some ideas.
How To Reduce Your Health Risk with Sitting Disease
We sit to work, are at our computers, maybe gather around with family and friends at the kitchen table, or our living room sofa. Some estimates are that on average we spend a whopping half of our day, half of it, sitting.
Get real about how long you sit.
I wasn’t shocked at the number of hours. But the online sitting calculator did not get me the answer I wanted in the risk area. And I took it three times!
While I know this website sells standing desks, don’t judge it being rigged. The assessment seems fairly complete with 12 questions – how long do you sit eating at each meal, commuting or spend driving and sitting, at your computer, watching television, everything. Then it estimates your risk factor. There are also many research studies referenced.
What is your risk factor? Mine is high.
Get up and move around.
Frequently get up. Get a glass of water or a cup of coffee or tea. Grab a piece of fruit or a handful of nuts. The idea is to move. I purposefully do this every 25 minutes using the Pomodoro technique. This all has me thinking to even do this differently. All to get up and move
Researchers at the University of Queensland are developing a sitting pad with a built-in alarm to remind you to get up and move.
One simple change will help.
Stand more. Just getting up to stretch and stand takes seconds and likely gives us back hours, or who knows, days.
With standing more when at your computer or just sitting we can also have the benefit to lose weight!
So if you have already shed pounds now you know an easy movement to easily keep them off.
In the meantime, consider setting a timer for every 25 minutes or so. I use TimeOut to schedule reminder breaks every 25 minutes (Pomodoro technique and style). Likely you can find some app or software like this to help you.
Take a short 15-minute walk outside after lunch. This also helps to lower your blood sugar spike, and clear your head, this head clearing important for anyone to think better.
Check your posture.
No slouching and keep your feet flat on the floor with your hands in an L shape as you reach for the keyboard. This is particularly important with neck and back pain.
Exercise regularly.
Finally get at least 2 ½ hours of moderate to high-intensity cardio exercise per week along with muscle-strengthening workouts twice per week. While exercise won’t completely offset the effects of prolonged sitting, it will help.
Little things add up.
Use commercial time, if you watch television, to get up and move.
Consider if you have a wireless printer to move it further from your computer, giving you more movement.
When you do get out of your office during the day, walk as far as you can to the entrance from where you are parking.
One last study to wrap up: Research was commissioned by the Cardiovascular Research Network and supported by the NSW Division of the National Heart Foundation Australia of participants 45 and up study participants. The findings: “those who were sedentary for half the day had a 40 percent increased risk of dying sooner, even when physical activity and weight was taken into account.”
The plan is a five-year follow-up to find out more with the 265,000 men and women about their health, lifestyle, and the medications and health services they use.
Studies are studies and there are always variables.
What is most disturbing is that 47 studies of our sedentary lifestyle all come to findings of one disease or another.
I want and plan for my body to last me. Thank goodness I am the final say in my office décor! That’s why I am researching a standing desk. What’s really attractive is that by just working in more standing I’m going to be burning more calories every day.
As many of you have expressed, moderation is our best defence again sitting disease. While we’re designed to move we just seem to be doing less of it.
How much moving are you already doing?
Are you brave enough to take your guessing to greater accuracy with the online sitting calculator?
My goodness, this is such a popular topic among my writer friends. A couple have invested in standing desks, and at least one is looking into a treadmill desk! I don’t know if I could do a standing desk, I’ve heard it’s hard on the feet. Also, I have a huuuuge desk – although I know there are ways to just elevate the keyboard and monitor. As you suggest, it’s good to move around, and I can’t sit still for longer than a couple of hours anyways! Luckily, I live downtown, and walk a LOT. But good advice!
I exercise regularly, get up from my computer every 25 minutes for at least 3 to 7 minutes and yet what worries me Krystyna is how almost all I read in research says – this does not reverse the damage. If you find out what desks your writer friends invested in, let us know!
Patricia — I fail the test. I sit too long at my computer and forget to get up and I don’t get 2-1/2 hours of cardio fitness exercise. At least I didn’t this past winter which was cold and miserable so I wasn’t inclined to go out and do my favorite exercise — walking. It shows in my weight and my fitness. Thanks for the wake-up call and best of luck with your back.
Jeannette at least you know where you are NOW with your personal risk with sitting disease. I look at the test as my wake up call too.
Hi Patricia, I do think I sit too much. Its better now that I’ve left the corporate world where I would sit all day. But now when I’m not sitting working on my blog, I’m standing in the kitchen cooking/baking. Which sounds good right… More standing? Except for the tasting and eating that goes along with the cooking. I need more exercise all around.
This made me laugh Susan: getting up to stand and then cook/bake in the kitchen! I suppose regardless of the tasting, you can take some comfort in the research that you are standing more and – that is great to reduce sitting disease issues.
I’ve gotten much better about how long I sit at a time, but I also jog 3-4 times a week and walk the dog everyday so that helps too. I didn’t realize how long I would stay glued to my chair until I started to time myself. Then I had to change me habits.
I totally understand how timing your sitting would give you a total understanding of sitting time. For me, it was an accident when I started using the Pomodoro technique which lead me to discover that my tendency was to stay focused and work past a 25-minute time-frame. Jeri I think everything we do to move helps, unlike the studies which tend to be inconclusive.
Also sit too much. But I exercise and walk a lot so that counteracts it. My sister got herself a standing desk and she is very happy with it. Accoring to her it makes your legs stronger. Might be worth a try?:-)
I definitely get achy sitting too long. I set a little timer on my computer for every 45minutes so I stand up when it beeps and take a couple minutes to move around. It seems to help me clear my head too.
Patricia, (and Anna), I too feel uneasy and uncomfortable about sitting for hours, running my Internet-based business. I’m blogging in the health and success niches. Maybe I need to buy or build a standing desk. I did find a very practical WordPress plugin that helped me create a tiny Health Forum. It’s a lot of fun, this… now I must stand up and try out the elliptical cross trainer, once again! 🙂
This is why it is important to workout at least one hour a day to avoid the bad effects of sitting for longer hours.
How do you know if you have got intense sitting disease?
It’s not a matter IF you have sitting. These days we all sit more than move. Unless we are an athlete always training, someone out of their office and home most of the time, likely we have it.