I have a friend that complains of continued back problems. Not only does he complain but his back pain has started to curtail his activities- so he often opts out “due to his bad back.” He has sought continued medical help with his problem only to have each doctor in turn tell him that there is nothing wrong with his back. I have a theory about his back pain and that is that it might stem from hours of sitting in a recliner chair each day. Recent studies have shown that sitting or sleeping in a recliner chair has been known to cause hip, knee and back contractures. The muscles tighten over the joints and restrict your posture and mobility. It can lead to lack of flexibility, pain and even a bad fall or injuries. It’s another evidence of “If you don’t use it you lose it.” Not moving actually impairs your ability to move.
A new motto has been popping up recently and that is SITTING IS THE NEW SMOKING. ”Sitting is more dangerous than smoking, kills more people than HIV, and is more treacherous than parachuting. We are sitting ourselves to death," says James Levine, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic, in an interview with the LA Times. "The chair is out to kill us.”
When you think of something that could threaten your life, you probably don't think about your chair. But according to many researchers, it’s one of the biggest potential threats to your health.Research shows that you can reduce your chances of cancer, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and back pain, all with one simple lifestyle change: reduce the time you spend sitting.
"We weren't designed to sit for long periods of time,” claims Dr. Joan Vernikos, former director of NASA's Life Sciences Division and author of the “Sitting Kills, Moving Heals”. "The body is a perpetual motion machine.”
Dr. Levine estimates that, in the US, we spend more than half of our waking hours sitting down, either watching TV, driving, or sitting at a desk at work or home.
Exercise Doesn’t Negate Extended Periods of Sitting
You may be thinking, “But I work out several times per week.” The research shows that though exercise is good for you, it doesn’t negate the damage done by extended periods of sitting.
As Katy Bowman, a scientist and author of the book: Move Your DNA: Restore Your Health Through Natural Movement, told Reuters: "You can't offset 10 hours of stillness with one hour of exercise.”
Gavin Bradley, director of Active Working, an international group aimed at reducing excessive sitting, explains part of the process, “Metabolism slows down 90 percent after 30 minutes of sitting. The enzymes that move the bad fat from your arteries to your muscles, where it can get burned off, slow down. The muscles in your lower body are turned off. And after two hours, good cholesterol drops 20 percent. Just getting up for five minutes is going to get things going again. These things are so simple they’re almost stupid.”
Sitting and the Increased Chance of Obesity
Dr. Levine started his research into the hazards of sitting and the benefits of standing desks because he was trying to figure out why some people seem to gain weight and others don’t. For his study, he put office workers who weren’t exercisers on a 1,000 calorie diet and had them not change their exercise routine. The result: some gained weight, some lost weight.
He then had the participants wear underwear that was lined with sensors that would tell him how much each worker was moving throughout the day. They discovered the missing link: the group that was losing weight was moving around 2.25 more hours per day than the group that put on weight.
You burn on average of 50 calories more per hour by standing. If you stand for 3 hours per day, five days per week, it adds up to 750 calories burned. In a year that adds up to 30,000 calories, which is almost 9 pounds. This is the equivalent of around 10 marathons per year and why Dr. Levine is a huge proponent of standing desks.
Back, Neck, & Sciatica Pain From Sitting
At Cornell University Department of Ergonomics, researchers found that up to 90% more pressure is applied to your lower back when you sit versus when you stand.
According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, back pain is one of the American’s most common health problems, with 1 out of 4 people experiencing back pain 1 day out of every 3 months.
Excessive Sitting and Cancer
Several types of cancer that are believed to be caused by inactivity. Christine Friedenreich, an epidemiologist at Alberta Health Services-Cancer Care in Canada, estimates that 173,000 cases of cancer in the U.S. are due to inactivity, with 49,000 cases of breast cancer and 43,000 cases of colon cancer. The other cancers linked to inactivity are lung cancer (37,200), prostate cancer (30,600 cases), endometrial cancer (12,000 cases), and ovarian cancer (1,800 cases). Each of these could also be related to excessive sitting.
Anxiety and Depression
According to an Australian study published in the journal Mental Health and Physical Activity, employees who reported sitting for longer than sitting than 6 hours per day had higher rates of anxiety and depression compared to those who sat less than 3 hours per day.
Another Australian study with 9,000 female participants in their fifties found that those who sat for 7 hours per day were 3 times more likely to have symptoms of depression compared to those who sat less than 4 hours per day.
Posture
In his article about his 30-day standing experiment, Dan Kois explains “Dr. Jack Callaghan of the University of Waterloo tells me that in his research on standing and back pain, the primary difference he sees between “pain developers” and “non–pain developers” is posture.”
My friend that spends so many hours in his recliner now has a permanently bent over posture when he stands or walk that makes him look 10 years older. I think he literally cannot stand up straight anymore.
Excessive sitting cause the muscles to permanently retract making good posture painful and eventually impossible. Sitting in recliners or bent down looking at your phone or computer screen for hours a day can interfere with your possible good posture.
Try to keep your chest open and shoulders back, and pull your chin back so your head is centered over your shoulders while sitting and standing. Develop the habit of squeezing your shoulder blades together several times per day to train yourself not to slouch.
How to Develop a Movement-Based Lifestyle
One of your goals in this regard needs to be NOT sitting in the same chair in the same position for many hours a day. Think about using a sit-stand desk if you work long hours on the computer or try a creative chair solution like an exercise ball or other offering that encourages the engagement of your core muscles while sitting. Even a straight back chair as an alternative to the cozy couch or recliner—can encourage you toward better posture and core engagement while sitting.
"The goal is to minimize sitting, especially continuous sitting, and follow a regular exercise program," says Timothy Church, a researcher at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. At work or at home:
- Drink a lot of water. Besides being a good habit, it will make you get up and walk to the bathroom often. And use a bathroom that’s further away if possible.
- Go to a colleague's desk if you have a question as opposed to sending them an email.
- Have walking meetings.
- Set an alarm on your phone or computer to stand and stretch or move every 20 minutes.
- Park further from the entrance.
- If you take public transportation, get off one stop early and walk further.
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Use your still time (television watching, chatting at home with family etc.) for stretching rather than just sitting.
So what is our challenge for this week? To do as experts recommend and get up every 20 to 30 minutes to do any kind of activity to prevent all of the problems that can come from extended periods of inactivity. Even if you are engaged in a long time task change seating options often if possible, stop periodically and stand up and stretch, keep your chest open and shoulders back, and pull your chin back so your head is centered over your shoulders while sitting and standing. Develop the habit of squeezing your shoulder blades together several times per day to train yourself not to slouch.
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