Are you sitting comfortably? You should not.
When it comes to furthering our understanding of human physiology and disease, it is one of the most exciting times in human history to be alive. Our bodies are the most fascinating and complex machines, and modern science has continued to unveil the full potential we carry within each of us. Through ongoing exploration of the body’s fundamental interconnectivity of physical, mental and emotional elements — and with the support of state-of-the-art medical tools available today — we can seek to enhance human longevity and wellbeing. This has become not only the focus of my professional career, but my life’s passion.
Over the years, I have been involved in numerous therapeutic studies where, due to extraordinary circumstances leading to ethical considerations, research would need to be prematurely halted. There were instances where one of the drugs, treatments or methods being measured proved to be significantly more effective than the other, so much so that it would be morally reprehensible to see the study to completion, whereby not allowing one group of probands (individuals involved in the study) to benefit from the undeniably superior treatment.
Dear reader, we find ourselves in the middle of the same scenario today, with just one key difference: that the study is taking place in the real world and each of us are participants. The key metric being studied is sitting vs. not sitting.
A generation ago, the world faced quite a similar situation with smoking tobacco. The evidence, that cigarette smoking is linked to numerous severe health issues, rapidly mounted study after study. Nevertheless, it took decades until we gained a significant level of public awareness regarding the associated risks; today, the danger of smoking is largely considered an undeniable truth and basic knowledge. If the human race were to improve in one regard as a whole, it should be to learn from those who came before us and to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
The Italian polymath Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) is famous for his standpoint that science has the responsibility — if not the obligation — to inform the public about groundbreaking discoveries, despite any and all opposition.
Fast forward half a millenium, and once again we find that it is time to reveal highly concerning scientific observations that must reshape how we live and work every day. The need for movement is so deeply ingrained within our innate composition — our hunter-gatherer genome — that we simply cannot ignore it. By continuing to turn a blind eye, when we often sit for more than eight hours each day, humans will inevitably pay an unnecessary death toll and ultimately lose the battle against the chronic ‘societal-based diseases,’ both as individuals as well as on a larger socioeconomic scale.
My professional journey through the universe of medical institutions and research laboratories has granted me personal insight into the fates of thousands of patients across cultures and continents. It is no exaggeration to say that I have seen great suffering, which in many cases was highly preventable. Oftentimes, the affected weren’t even aware of how their daily actions could result in such unbearable chronic pain.
So what is the problem with sitting?
The human body’s genetic imprint clearly indicates that we were designed to be active throughout the majority of the day. If, during our waking hours, we instead remain seated for six or more hours daily, we will inevitably ruin our physical and mental health and dramatically reduce our life expectancy.
Still a long way to go
It’s natural to wonder how modern society could have missed such an important point up to now. Why have we just started to learn about the health risks associated with sedentariness in the last decade or so?
Part of the explanation is that it takes considerable time for the outcome of research studies to spread. In medical or epidemiological research settings, results are typically first shared amongst the scientific community within conferences and scientific publications. Only a fraction of studies ever reach any public awareness. Scientific parlance and the sheer complexity of most published studies also make it challenging or even impossible for the general public or press to follow up.
“Sitting is the new smoking.”
You are likely familiar with this mantra.” Dr. James Levine, one of the pioneers in the research of the modern ‘sitting disease,’ was a driving force in bringing awareness to the larger public. His memorable statement has made headlines all over the world and triggered a greater awareness and interest in the topic.
Sitting has been widely overlooked as an independent risk factor for its long-term contribution to chronic diseases. However, with continually mounting evidence, the predominant opinion in the scientific and medical community has begun to change dramatically; we can now definitively say that a sedentary lifestyle contributes to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, dementia, and many other severe diseases. With the recommendation to reduce sitting time now appearing in official clinical guidelines, we can see that awareness is finally spreading beyond industry publications and is beginning to reach the ‘real world.’
Despite numerous public and corporate campaigns to incorporate more movement in schools, universities and workplaces, sitting for eight to ten hours a day is still the global average. Reducing that duration to a safe amount is easier said than done, particularly since the social and professional context often leaves us no other choice but to sit. Students in the university library or lecture hall, office workers behind their desks or in meetings, people on their daily commute all face the same dilemma. It all adds up without us noticing and, in addition to all that, we spend even more time sitting during leisure time, for meals and in front of screens of all sizes.
How does sitting affect the body?
Upper back, neck and shoulders
The typical position at a desk, with the neck and head bent forward while working at a computer, leads to a host of spinal problems, chronic strains, headaches and herniated discs.
Lower back
Sitting puts enormous pressure on the spine, mostly at critical junctions in the lumbar spine and lower back, resulting in herniated discs, chronic back pain and spinal degeneration. Many also suffer mental effects from back pain, all too often leading to overprescription and opioid abuse.
Hips and glutes
Lack of extension in the hip muscles lead to tightness and a reduced range of motion, while weakened glute muscles decrease a person’s stability. Both of these effects can lead to an increased risk for falls, particularly within the elderly population. Furthermore, nerve compression can lead to chronic repetitive radiating pain throughout the legs.
Abdominal muscles
Chronically weakened abdominal muscles further contribute to spinal problems due to lack of counterbalance, increasing the risk for long-term spinal damage, herniated discs and chronic back pain.
Bones
Chronic lack of movement leads to decreased bone density, paving the way towards osteoporosis, and an increased risk of fractures.
Lungs
While sitting at a desk, with hunched shoulders and a rounded spine, we experience a substantial reduction in our lung capacity, which is exacerbated by a lack of diaphragmatic movement due to abdominal compression between the upper body and the flexed hip. Over time, breathing becomes chronically impaired, leading to decreased energy and negative effects on the brain, including impaired focus and reduced memory.
Pancreas and metabolism
The body’s ability to effectively respond to sugar intake is profoundly affected by prolonged sitting, leading to insulin resistance and diabetes. Long-term increased blood sugar levels give rise to cardiovascular disease, stroke, kidney failure, nerve damage, blindness and limb amputations, all of which can seriously lower the quality and expectancy of one’s life.
Heart and blood vessels
Sitting leads to overall slower blood flow and a weakened heart muscle, resulting in higher blood pressure and chronic inflammation in the blood vessels. The combination of unhealthy accumulation of body fat and reduced muscle mass leads to higher unhealthy fats circulating in the blood, resulting in an increased risk for heart attack and stroke. Sitting for more than seven hours each day means an 85% increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease.
For every two hours a person spends sitting each day, the risk for cardiovascular disease increases by an additional 5%. Sitting also increases the levels of stress hormones and impairs blood circulation in the legs, which can damage leg veins (varicosis) and lead to the development of blood clots known as deep vein thrombosis.
Overweight
Sitting too long influences the dopamine and leptin hormones, which play an important role in the regulation of hunger and satiety. Weight gain as a result of inactivity can start a vicious cycle, in which it becomes harder and harder for people to lose weight.
Being overweight or obese increases the risk of a number of serious conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and heart attack, stroke, cancer, kidney disease and liver disease; it can also result in sleep disturbances and cause a range of musculoskeletal problems.
Cancer
Sitting increases the risk for lung cancer by 54%, uterine cancer by 66% and colon cancer by 30%. This is likely due to hormonal changes (IGF-1), excessive insulin secretion, a state of constant inflammation and decreased production of antioxidant enzymes.
Obesity has also been linked to cancers involving the esophagus (gullet), stomach, liver, blood, brain, pancreas, colon (intestine), gallbladder, breasts and ovaries.
Digestion and bowels
Sitting after a meal causes food to compress in the intestines, which impairs digestion and can lead to long-term low level inflammation in and around the intestine with negative effects on the healthy gut flora (microbiome). This has been associated with diseases affecting the bowels, and can also contribute to allergies, asthma, metabolic syndrome, heart disease and cancer.
Brain
Movement triggers the release of neurochemicals, which are essential for awareness, proper memory function and mood stability.
The brain functions like a muscle. Without enough movement, the brain virtually shrinks in size, increasing the risk of developing depression, anxiety, dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease), attention deficit disorder and more. An impaired response to stress can negatively impact numerous other organs, including the heart through the vegetative nervous system and the gut microflora / the microbiome with further implications for our cognitive and psychological wellbeing.
Exercise and standing cannot reverse the effects of sitting
Studies overwhelmingly show that even intense daily exercise can simply not undo the health risks that result from sitting for the majority of our waking hours. While exercise is certainly good for us and comes with countless health benefits, prolonged sedentary time is independently associated with the aforementioned risks, regardless of the amount of time an individual spends engaged in physical activity.
To explain why exercise alone is not enough, we have to look at what happens in the sedentary body. When we sit, the muscles in the legs don’t contract and therefore don’t pump blood back through the body — most importantly to the brain — and instead pool in the legs. Over time, this means that our large leg muscles require less fuel, decreasing our energy expenditure. The brain has a high, steady demand for energy in the form of glucose. A lack of glucose supply is interpreted by the brain as some kind of starvation risk, which triggers the release of hormones and gene regulation in a way that rapidly increases the level of blood sugar and decreases the level of fat burning. This response makes sense as a physiological survival mechanism. In today’s world, however, when triggered by prolonged daily sitting time, this can soon turn into a major health risk, regardless of whether the person is an athlete who exercises regularly.
As a consequence, exercise time and sedentary time are two completely different entities, which need to be addressed separately. While we should try to engage in vigorous physically exercise for about 30–45 minutes a day, we should also ensure that time spent sitting doesn’t add up to more than four hours on a daily basis.
A movement revolution is needed
More and more scientific evidence directly links inactivity and sedentariness to some of the most pressing health risks of our times. Effective countermeasures that provide a realistic outlook on preventing or reversing the effects of this ‘sitting disease’ are urgently needed, particularly as we consider the exploding healthcare costs associated with the treatment of chronically ill patients and the associated loss of productivity. At the same time, we are moving towards a society in which personal health and mental wellbeing have a higher meaning than ever before.
I believe that people in the second half of the 21st century will look back on our current sedentary lifestyle era with disbelief and shaking heads.
We can no longer take this sitting down. It is time for a movement revolution.
Walkolution develops revolutionary solutions, which help organizations to ignite new potentials with movement and to inspire satisfied and healthy employees.
