Is sitting too much killing you?

As I am sitting here writing this blog about how too much sitting is equal to the negative health affects of smoking and I can't help thinking I should be pacing around with my laptop!  It is scary when you read the facts of how sedentary adults, and especially children, are in today's tech world.  Our goal at the Neepawa Chiropractic and Massage Centre is to keep people active and I hope this blog motivates you to push away from that desk and get moving!

How much do we sit?
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-We are now sitting more then ever (average of 9.3- 11 hours per day)
-1/3 of Canadians sit more than 9 hours per day
-On average, we sit longer in a day than we sleep (7.7 hours per day)
-The average Canadian adult watches TV for 16.2 hours a week
-Kids on average are sitting at a screen 3 hours on a school day of the week
-Canadians on average only get 15% of the recommended amount of daily exercise

From an evolution perspective, it took us 2 million years to stand and 200 years to go from 3 hours of sitting to 9-11 hours!  We wake up, sit for breakfast, sit for our commute to work, settle into the desk for the day, sit on our commute home, then for supper, then after supper to watch the Winnipeg Jets play, then it is off to bed.  As you can see, it isn't hard to sit over 9 hours in a day and lead a sedentary lifestyle.

The side effects of sitting too much

Listed below are just a few of the crazy negative health effects of living a sedentary lifestyle. The one that amazes me the most is that if you sit for more that 8 hours a day, exercising for an hour will not reverse the negative effects of sitting.  It explains when I have a patient in that is trying to loose weight and is starting to exercise every day but can't seem to shed those pounds.  We have to keep active!

-Sitting 6+ hours per day makes you 40% more likely to die within 15 years compared to someone who sits less than 3 hours per day, even if you exercise!
-There is physical changes in our DNA and it shrinks
-Nerve and blood flow to the legs dramatically decreases
-Sitting when driving affects organ structure and placement
-Brain activity decreases, depression rises, and productivity goes down
-After 24 hours of sitting the effect of insulin drops 24%
-After two hours of sitting, your “good” cholesterol drops 20%
-The enzymes that help break down fat drop 90% after 6 hours of sitting
-People who sit for more than 8 hours a day have a 64% higher rate of heart attacks, 2 to 3 times the rate of heart disease and diabetes

How do we fix the problem?

The answer to lowering your risk of negative health outcomes due to too much sitting seems like a simple solution - just get moving.  However this can be very difficult if your job requires you to sit at a computer all day. 
The solution is to find ways to get out from your desk every hour.  The research varies on what the magic amount of time is per hour for you to get up and move from your desk, but the minimum should be at least 5 minutes per hour. Stand up desks are a great solution, but not the ultimate answer.  Standing is also sedentary and it also comes with negative health effects if done too much. Definitely having the option of standing and sitting at your desk is the best. Here are some strategies you can try in your work day:

-Recognize times or tasks that will break up long periods of sitting
-Take designed mini breaks - 5 min/hr and productivity goes up!
-Walking or stand-up meetings - these are 15% more productive!
-Stand to have lunch or get outside for a walking lunch
-Change where the printer (and other items) is located so you need to walk 
-No inter-office emails - get up and go to the person's office
-Change work stations - Standing work stations, treadmill station
-Head sets for the phone so you can move with long calls
-Take the stairs instead of the elevator
-Use tech to remind you to do some simple desk exercises or to get up

Lets get Active!!!!!
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Activity fact: We burn 60 more calories per hour standing compared to sitting