The final decade of the last millennium was epitomized by not only the advent of computer age but a rapid shift from ‘blue collar’ to ‘white collar’ jobs globally. A vast majority of modern day workers spend around 2000 to 2400 hours yearly, in a small desk inside the three little walls of a cubicle . Even if you are not one of them, you may still end up spending a considerable amount of time in front of a screen watching your favorite sports-league or that daily TV soap opera. In either case, slowly but surely it is taking a massive toll on your health. According to the multitudes of studies, you possess higher chances of getting elevated blood pressure, diabetes, a bevy of other chronic diseases, and may even have cancer or early death. But do not panic.
If you just follow the 5 proven, simple and effective steps given below, you will be able to reverse most of the ill-effects of the so-called ‘office-chair’ syndrome.
How sedentary are we ?
Sedentary behaviour is defined as any waking behaviour characterized by an energy expenditure < 1.5 metabolic equivalents (METs), while in a sitting, reclining or lying posture (according to “International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity”) . In simple terms it means, sitting for extended periods in office-cubicles, TV viewing, driving automobiles etc.
In the 1960s, Robert Propst, an inventor but with no particular training in interior designing, designed a “cubicle” to optimize the office space. This cubicle became a symbol of workplace in late 1980s and 90s .
Additionally, the average daily screen viewing time (TV, Laptops, Mobiles etc) are increasing while the regular physical activities are decreasing globally at an alarming rate.
Here are some of the statistics from the official website of WHO (World Health Organization)-
- Insufficient physical activity is one of the leading risk factors for death worldwide.
- Globally, one in four adults is not active enough .
- More than 80 percent of world’s adolescent population is insufficiently physically active.
Why Sitting is the ‘New Smoking’ ?
Do you experience any of these on a weekly basis ?
- Problems with your digestion or bowel function.
- Do you have stiff neck and shoulder, back aches or waist pain ?
- Are you gaining weight although you are on a healthy regime ?
- Do you feel anxious, tensed, nervous or depressed more frequently ?
- Do you feel having low energy in most of the days in the week ?
- Are you forgetting things more often than before ?
If you are having one or several of the above symptoms on a regular basis; the time has come for you to make a positive change.
What the Researchers are telling us –
In 2015 Canadian researchers published their meta-analysis in “Annals of Internal Medicine”, in which they gathered data from 47 studies. It was found that more than 50 percent of the average persons’ waking hours are spent in sedentary activities. Moreover, they concluded that the prolonged sedentary time was associated with a higher risk of dying early.
Scientists from the Norwegian School of Sports and Sciences in Oslo, Norway and the University of Cambridge in UK published their analysis in the journal ‘The Lancet’.This study harmonized meta-analysis of data from 16 studies which had a total of more than 1 million subjects. In this landmark analysis, association of sedentary behavior and physical activity with all-cause mortality was examined. It was concluded that prescribed amount of physical activity eliminates the increased risk of death associated with high sitting time.
In another study publised in the ‘American Journal of Epidemiology’ in 2017 showed that a sedentary life-style is significantly associated with cell ageing. The lead researcher of this study Dr. Aladdin Shadyab said in an interview “Our study found cells age faster with a sedentary life-style. Chronological age does not always match the biological age. We found that women who sat longer did not have shorter telomere length if they exercised for at least 30 minutes a day”.
The recommendation to physicians comes from yet another study publised by National Centre for Bio-Technology Information (NCBTI) of US National Library of Medicine (NLM) . In this paper titled, “Sitting time and mortality from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer”, the researchers concluded that ‘physicians should discourage sitting for extended periods’ .
5 steps to reverse the effects of sedentary life-style :
- Increase your physical activity – Humans are built to be upright and move-crawl, walk, run or jump, most of the time. “Sit less, move more” is the advise from American Heart Association. For healthy adults WHO recommends 150 minutes of physical activity per week. According to their website, regular physical activities has the following effects-
i) Improve muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness
ii) Improve bone and functional health
iii) Reduce the risk of hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, various types of cancer (including breast cancer and colon cancer), and depression
iv) Reduce the risk of falls as well as hip or vertebral fractures
v) Are fundamental to energy balance and weight control
Even if you are extremely busy, schedule your activities to incorporate simple aerobic exercises like brisk-walking, cycling, swimming, running etc. It should be done 30 minutes daily for five times a week. In the long run, not only will you remain healthy but these activities will surely increase your daily effectiveness and energy levels.
2. Correct your posture while sitting at a desk – We shall not go into the details now, but two critical points to remember are –
i) Sit upright. Your head and back should be in a straight line.
ii) Keep the jaw parallel to the floor.
3. Get up after every 30 minutes or once after every hour – Two minutes of break after sitting for 30 minutes is ideal. If this is not possible, try getting up from your seat at least once after each hour and stroll through the maze of cubicles in your office.
In the research publised in the peer-reviewed journal ‘Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise’ concluded that a five minute walk, for every hour of sitting, can negate the horrible health effects. Dr. Saurabh Thosar, the study’s lead author commented, “It is interesting to see that light physical activity can help preventing the damage”.
4. Reduce your TV time – The same research team, mentioned earlier, from Oslo, Norway and University of Cambridge in UK analysed 6 studies on daily television watching in half a million subjects. They were stunned to find that watching television for just more than three hours a day was linked with an increased risk of death. The death risk was significantly higher who watched TV in excess of five hours.
Moreover, a lot of people not only watch TV, they tend to eat unhealthy snacks at the same time. So instead, “Take a walk in the evenings, its good for the mind and the soul” opined Dr. Barbara Bergin, an orthopedic surgeon.
5. Walk and climb when you go to work – If you drive or take a bus, train or a cab while going to work you can get off a stop early and walk several blocks. You may want to repeat this exercise after work. Instead of the lift, use staircase in your office to climb at least two to three floors daily.
In today’s era and specially for the ‘office-desk’ jobs there is no way to escape sitting, for prolonged periods. Following the five steps mentioned above is ideal and will not only nullify your risk of a sedentary life-style but you will surely reap additional health benefits.
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